Particle Physics Flashcards
Big Bang
All the universe, space, matter, energy and time started with a huge explosion from a tiny size
Linear accelerator
A device that accelerates charged particles in straight lines
Synchrotron
A circular accelerator of charged particles
Strong nuclear force
The force that binds protons and neutrons in nuclei
Weak nuclear force
The force responsible for radioactive beta decay
Antimatter
Matter that has same mass as another particle and is equal in magnitude but opposite in charge
Quark
A type of particle that is a constituent of hadrons
Lepton
A fundamental particle that does not feel the strong nuclear force but does feel the weak nuclear force and gravitation
Examples of leptons
Electron, the moun, and the tau
Hadron
A particle that feels the strong nuclear force
Meson
A particle that feels the strong nuclear force and is composed of a quark and an anti quark
Baryons
Particles that feel the strong nuclear force and are composed of three quarks
Neutrino
A lepton that has 0 charge and nearly 0 rest mass
Pair production
When a particle and it’s anti particle are created from gamma rays
Pair annihilation
When a particle and anti particle meet and they annihilate each other
