subatomic particle

/ˈsʌbəˌtɑmɪk ˌpɑrdəkəl/

Other forms: subatomic particles

Definitions of subatomic particle

1. noun

   a body having finite mass and internal structure but negligible dimensions
   synonyms: particle

   types:

   virion

   (virology) a complete viral particle; nucleic acid and capsid (and a lipid envelope in some viruses)

   alpha particle

   a positively charged particle that is the nucleus of the helium atom; emitted from natural or radioactive isotopes

   beta particle

   a high-speed electron or positron emitted in the decay of a radioactive isotope

   boson

   any particle that obeys Bose-Einstein statistics but not the Pauli exclusion principle; all nuclei with an even mass number are bosons

   deuteron

   the nucleus of deuterium; consists of one proton and one neutron; used as a bombarding particle in accelerators

   elementary particle, fundamental particle

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

   fermion

   any particle that obeys Fermi-Dirac statistics and is subject to the Pauli exclusion principle

   ion

   a particle that is electrically charged (positive or negative); an atom or molecule or group that has lost or gained one or more electrons

   magnetic monopole

   a hypothetical particle with a single magnetic pole instead of the usual two

   micelle

   an electrically charged particle built up from polymeric molecules or ions and occurring in certain colloidal electrolytic solutions like soaps and detergents

   prion

   (microbiology) an infectious protein particle similar to a virus but lacking nucleic acid; thought to be the agent responsible for scrapie and other degenerative diseases of the nervous system

   virino

   (microbiology) a hypothetical infectious particle thought to be the cause of scrapie and other degenerative diseases of the central nervous system; consists of nucleic acid in a protective coat of host cell proteins

   scintilla

   a sparkling glittering particle

   superstring

   a hypothetical particle that is the elementary particle in a theory of space-time

   thermion

   an electrically charged particle (electron or ion) emitted by a substance at a high temperature

   anion

   a negatively charged ion

   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

   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

   cation

   a positively charged ion

   gauge boson

   a particle that mediates the interaction of two elementary particles

   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

   meson, mesotron

   an elementary particle responsible for the forces in the atomic nucleus; a hadron with 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

   type of:

   body

   an individual 3-dimensional object that has mass and that is distinguishable from other objects