gluon

American  

[gloo-on] / ˈglu ɒn /

noun

Physics.

1. a massless particle with spin 1 that transmits the strong force between quarks, binding them together into baryons and mesons.

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gluon British  

/ ˈɡluːɒn /

noun

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

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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

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Etymology

Origin of gluon

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gluon

Instead, the results are consistent with gluon saturation, a phenomenon predicted by quantum chromodynamics, the theory that describes the strong force.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026

Instead, the gluon structure connecting those quarks could be central to how baryon number is carried through energetic collisions.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Their work focuses on comparing entropy in the early quark gluon phase with the entropy of the particles eventually produced and measured.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 5, 2026

The electromagnetic force is conveyed by the photon, the strong force by the gluon, and the weak force by particles called the W boson and Z boson.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 27, 2024

It is believed that this force is carried by another spin-1 particle, called the gluon, which interacts only with itself and with the quarks.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

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