meson
Physics. any hadron, or strongly interacting particle, other than a baryon. Mesons are bosons, having spins of 0, 1, 2, …, and, unlike baryons, do not obey a conservation law.
Origin of meson
1Other words from meson
- me·son·ic, adjective
- Compare quark model.
Words Nearby meson
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use meson in a sentence
Mesons can sometimes appear fleetingly on Earth, when high-energy cosmic rays collide with typical matter.
Scientists found a fleeting particle from the universe’s first moments | Rahul Rao | January 28, 2022 | Popular-ScienceA type of meson called D0, for example, which contains charm quarks, is in a superposition of two normal matter particles called D1 and D2.
CERN: How We’re Probing the Universe’s Origins Using Record Precision Measurements | Martha Hilton | June 24, 2021 | Singularity HubThese are exciting prospects for investigating matter-antimatter asymmetry and the oscillations of mesons.
CERN: How We’re Probing the Universe’s Origins Using Record Precision Measurements | Martha Hilton | June 24, 2021 | Singularity HubMesons with zero electric charge continually undergo a phenomenon called mixing by which they spontaneously change into their antimatter particle, and vice versa.
CERN: How We’re Probing the Universe’s Origins Using Record Precision Measurements | Martha Hilton | June 24, 2021 | Singularity HubOne is the “pion cloud” model, a popular, decades-old approach that emphasizes the proton’s tendency to emit and reabsorb particles called pions, which belong to a group of particles known as mesons.
Decades-Long Quest Reveals Details of the Proton’s Inner Antimatter | Natalie Wolchover | February 24, 2021 | Quanta Magazine
At the meson we found real rooms and true beds, and decided to stay for the night.
In Indian Mexico (1908) | Frederick StarrAt half past eight we reached San Carlos, a mean town with no meson or other regular stopping-place.
In Indian Mexico (1908) | Frederick StarrWe found shelter at a sort of a meson, where we could get no supper until nine, or possibly till ten.
In Indian Mexico (1908) | Frederick StarrThe maximum intensity of this extracted meson beam depends on both the charge and energy desired.
LRL Accelerators | Lawrence Radiation LaboratoryThis meson beam then travels through a hole in the concrete shielding wall into the meson cave.
LRL Accelerators | Lawrence Radiation Laboratory
British Dictionary definitions for meson
/ (ˈmiːzɒn) /
any of a group of elementary particles, such as a pion or kaon, that usually has a rest mass between those of an electron and a proton, and an integral spin. They are responsible for the force between nucleons in the atomic nucleus: Former name: mesotron See also muon
Origin of meson
1Derived forms of meson
- mesonic or mesic, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for meson
[ mĕz′ŏn′, mĕs′-, mē′zŏn′, -sŏn′ ]
Any of a family of subatomic particles that are composed of a quark and an antiquark. Their masses are generally intermediate between leptons and baryons, and they can have positive, negative, or neutral charge. Mesons form a subclass of hadrons and include the kaon, pion and J/psi particles. Mesons were originally believed to be the particles that mediated the strong nuclear force, but it has since been shown that the gluon mediates this force. See Table at subatomic particle.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for meson
[ (mez-on, may-zon) ]
An elementary particle in the atomic nucleus.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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