definitions

intermediate vector boson

noun Physics.

one of the three particles that are believed to transmit the weak force: the positively charged W particle, the negatively charged W particle, and the neutral Z0 particle.

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Nearby words

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Origin of intermediate vector boson

First recorded in 1965–70
Also called vector boson.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for vector boson

intermediate vector boson

noun

physics a hypothetical particle believed to mediate the weak interaction between elementary particles
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

Science definitions for vector boson (1 of 2)

vector boson

One of the four subatomic particles that mediate the four fundamental forces. The particles and their corresponding forces are: the photon and the electromagnetic force, the graviton and the gravitational force, the intermediate vector boson and the weak nuclear force, and the gluon and the strong nuclear force. The graviton has yet to be isolated in an experiment.

Science definitions for vector boson (2 of 2)

intermediate vector boson

Either of two subatomic particles, the W boson or the Z boson, that mediate the weak nuclear force.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.