muon

[myoo-on]

noun

Physics.

1. a lepton similar in most respects to the electron except that it is unstable, it may be positively charged, and its mass is approximately 207 times greater; the positively charged muon is the antiparticle of the negatively charged muon. μ

muon

/ ˈmjuːɒn, mjuːˈɒnɪk /

noun

1. a positive or negative elementary particle with a mass 207 times that of an electron and spin 1/ 2 . It was originally called the mu meson but is now classified as a lepton

muon

1. An elementary particle in the lepton family having a mass 209 times that of the electron, a negative electric charge, and a mean lifetime of 2.2 × 10 ^{- 6} seconds. The muon was originally called the mu-meson and was once thought to be a meson.

2. See Table at subatomic particle

Other Word Forms

• muonic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of muon¹

1950–55; by shortening of mu meson; mu, -on ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of muon¹

C20: short for _{mu meson}

Example Sentences

In the normal case, muon neutrinos are more likely to become electron neutrinos, while their antimatter partners are less likely to do so.

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There’s just one catch: Nobody knows whether a muon collider can actually be built.

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The neutrino can have three fundamental configurations -- flavors as they are termed by the physicists -- which are electron, muon, and tau.

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The Standard Model is a theory that attempts to describe subatomic particles, such as quarks and muons, along with the four fundamental forces: strong, weak, electromagnetic and gravity.

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They come in three types—electron, muon, and tau—that morph into one another, a phenomenon that might help explain how the universe generated more matter than antimatter.

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