gluon

American  

[gloo-on] / ˈglu ɒn /

noun

Physics.

1. an unobserved massless particle with spin 1 that is believed to transmit the strong force between quarks, binding them together into baryons and mesons.

---

gluon British  

/ ˈɡluːɒn /

noun

1. a hypothetical particle believed to be exchanged between quarks in order to bind them together to form particles

---

gluon Scientific  

/ glo̅o̅′ŏn /

1. The subatomic particle that mediates the strong force. The exchange of gluons between two quarks changes the color of the quarks and results in the attractive force holding them together in hadrons. Gluons are bosons.

2. See Table at subatomic particle

---

Etymology

Origin of gluon

First recorded in 1970–75; glue + -on ¹

Example Sentences

The quark-gluon plasma is a unique state of matter where the basic building blocks of protons and neutrons, quarks and gluons, exist freely rather than being confined inside particles.

From Science Daily

The results reveal that quarks and gluons, the fundamental building blocks that make up a proton's structure, are subject to so-called quantum entanglement.

From Science Daily

Quarks and gluons are the fundamental building blocks of protons and neutrons -- elementary particles that combined to forge the basic elements of the periodic table.

From Science Daily

The last bit of spin is thought to come from the movements of the proton's quarks and gluons.

From Science Daily

This is a plasma "soup" of quarks and gluons that have been set free, or "deconfined," from nuclear matter -- protons and neutrons -- in the particle collisions.

From Science Daily