Nuclear and Particle Physics Flashcards
Linear accelerator
A machine which accelerates charged particles along a straight line
Cyclotron
A circular machine that accelerates charged particles, usually following a spiral path
Synchrotron
A machine that accelerates charged particles around a fixed circular path
Pair production
The phenomenon in which a particle and its anti-matter equivalent are both created simultaneously in a conversion from energy
Annihilation
The phenomenon in which a particle and its anti-matter equivalent are both destroyed simultaneously in a conversion into energy which is carried away by force carrier particles, such as photons
Electronvolt
The amount of energy an electron gains by passing through a voltage of 1V.
Standard Model
The name given to the theory of all the fundamental particles and how they interact. This is the theory that currently has the strongest experimental evidence
Quarks
The six fundamental Particles that interact with each other using the strong nuclear as well as all other forces
Leptons
The six fundamental particles which do not interact using the strong nuclear force, only the other three fundamental forces
Strong Nuclear Force
Extremely short range force between hadrons such as protons and neutrons
Anti-particle
Every particle has an anti-particle, which has the same mass but all their other properties are opposite to those of normal matter particle
Baryon
A particle made of a combination of three quarks
Meson
A particle made of a combination of a quark and an anti-quark
pion
A meson created from any up/down quark/anti-quark pairings
kaon
A meson created from any combination of up/down quark/anti-quark and strange/anti-strange pairing
Hadron
A particle which can interact via strong nuclear force
Exchange Bosons
Particles that enable the transfer of force. Each of the four fundamental forces has its own exchange boson
Gravity
The weakest of the four fundamental forces, transmitted by the theoretical graviton particle, and affecting all objects
Electromagnetic force
One of four fundamental forces transmitted by photons, acting between objects with charges
Strong nuclear force
The strongest of the four fundamental forces, transmitted by gluons acting at very short ranges between hadrons
Weak Nuclear Force
One of four fundamental forces, transmitted by W or Z bosons, acting at extremely short ranges. It can affect all matter particles
Photons
The quantum of electromagnetic radiation, and force carrier for the electromagnetic force
Graviton
The force carrier particle/exchange boson for gravity
Alpha decay
The radioactive process in which a particle combination of two protons and two neutrons is ejected from a nucleus
