fundamental particle

/ˌˈfʌndəˌˈmɛntl ˌpɑrdəkəl/

Other forms: fundamental particles

Definitions of fundamental particle

1. noun

   (physics) a particle that is less complex than an atom; regarded as constituents of all matter
   synonyms: elementary particle

   types:

   antilepton

   the antiparticle of a lepton

   antiparticle

   a particle that has the same mass as another particle but has opposite values for its other properties; interaction of a particle and its antiparticle results in annihilation and the production of radiant energy

   antiquark

   the antiparticle of a quark

   hadron

   any elementary particle that interacts strongly with other particles

   lepton

   an elementary particle that participates in weak interactions; has a baryon number of 0

   quark

   (physics) truly fundamental particle in mesons and baryons; there are supposed to be six flavors of quarks (and their antiquarks), which come in pairs; each has an electric charge of +2/3 or -1/3

   strange particle

   an elementary particle with non-zero strangeness

   cosmic string, string

   (cosmology) a hypothetical one-dimensional subatomic particle having a concentration of energy and the dynamic properties of a flexible loop

   WIMP, weakly interacting massive particle

   a hypothetical subatomic particle of large mass that interacts weakly with ordinary matter through gravitation; postulated as a constituent of the dark matter of the universe

   antibaryon

   the antiparticle of a baryon; a hadron with a baryon number of -1

   antimeson

   the antiparticle of a meson

   antimuon, positive muon

   the antiparticle of a muon; decays to positron and neutrino and antineutrino

   antineutrino

   the antiparticle of a neutrino

   antitauon, tau-plus particle

   an antilepton of very great mass

   baryon, heavy particle

   any of the elementary particles having a mass equal to or greater than that of a proton and that participate in strong interactions; a hadron with a baryon number of +1

   beauty quark, bottom quark

   a quark with a charge of -1/3 and a mass about 10,000 times that of an electron

   charm quark

   a quark with an electric charge of +2/3 and a mass 2900 times that of an electron and a charm of +1

   down quark

   a stable quark with an electric charge of -1/3 and a mass 607 times that of an electron

   electron, negatron

   an elementary particle with negative charge

   meson, mesotron

   an elementary particle responsible for the forces in the atomic nucleus; a hadron with a baryon number of 0

   mu-meson, muon, negative muon

   an elementary particle with a negative charge and a half-life of 2 microsecond; decays to electron and neutrino and antineutrino

   neutrino

   an elementary particle with zero charge and zero mass

   antielectron, positron

   an elementary particle with positive charge; interaction of a positron and an electron results in annihilation

   squark, strange quark

   a quark with an electric charge of -1/3 and a mass 988 times that of an electron and a strangeness of -1

   tau-minus particle, tauon

   a lepton of very great mass

   top quark, truth quark

   a hypothetical quark with a charge of +2/3 and a mass more than 100,000 times that of an electron

   up quark

   a stable quark with an electric charge of +2/3 and a mass 607 times that of an electron

   type of:

   particle, subatomic particle

   a body having finite mass and internal structure but negligible dimensions