Specialist dictionary

Quantum physics

Matter and energy at atomic and subatomic scales.

Core vocabulary

45 featured terms

The database can contain more terms than shown here; this page prioritises the strongest mappings.

Bosonnoun

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

Fermionnoun

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

Indeterminacy principlenoun

(quantum theory) the theory that it is impossible to measure both energy and time (or position and momentum) completely accurately at the same t…

photonnoun

a quantum of electromagnetic radiation; an elementary particle that is its own antiparticle

Quantisationnoun

the act of dividing into quanta or expressing in terms of quantum theory

Quantizationnoun

the act of dividing into quanta or expressing in terms of quantum theory

uncertainty principlenoun

(quantum theory) the theory that it is impossible to measure both energy and time (or position and momentum) completely accurately at the same t…

Quantumnoun

(physics) the smallest discrete quantity of some physical property that a system can possess (according to quantum theory)

Superpositionnoun

The idea that overlapping waves or states can be added together.

uncertainty principlenoun

A limit on how precisely some pairs of quantum properties can be known together.

wavefunctionnoun

A mathematical description used to predict results in quantum mechanics.

baryonnoun

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 wi…

Gauge bosonnoun

a particle that mediates the interaction of two elementary particles

Heavy particlenoun

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 wi…

leptonnoun

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

Mesonnoun

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

Mesotronnoun

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

Quasiparticlenoun

a quantum of energy (in a crystal lattice or other system) that has position and momentum and can in some respects be regarded as a particle

B-mesonnoun

exceedingly short-lived meson

Electronnoun

an elementary particle with negative charge

Hyperonnoun

any baryon that is not a nucleon; unstable particle with mass greater than a neutron

J particlenoun

a neutral meson with a large mass

K particlenoun

an unstable meson produced as the result of a high-energy particle collision

K-mesonnoun

an unstable meson produced as the result of a high-energy particle collision

Kaonnoun

an unstable meson produced as the result of a high-energy particle collision

Kappa-mesonnoun

an unstable meson produced as the result of a high-energy particle collision

Mu-mesonnoun

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

Muonnoun

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

Negative muonnoun

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

Negatronnoun

an elementary particle with negative charge

neutrinonoun

an elementary, electrically neutral particle with a very small mass

Nucleonnoun

a constituent (proton or neutron) of an atomic nucleus

Pi-mesonnoun

a meson involved in holding the nucleus together; produced as the result of high-energy particle collision

Pionnoun

a meson involved in holding the nucleus together; produced as the result of high-energy particle collision

Psi particlenoun

a neutral meson with a large mass

Delta raynoun

an electron ejected from matter by ionizing radiation

Free electronnoun

electron that is not attached to an atom or ion or molecule but is free to move under the influence of an electric field

Mu neutrinonoun

the neutrino associated with the muon.; "In 1962, Leon M. Lederman, Melvin Schwartz and Jack Steinberger showed that more than one type of neutr…

Muon neutrinonoun

the neutrino associated with the muon.; "In 1962, Leon M. Lederman, Melvin Schwartz and Jack Steinberger showed that more than one type of neutr…

neutronnoun

an elementary particle with 0 charge and mass about equal to a proton; enters into the structure of the atomic nucleus

Photoelectronnoun

an electron that is emitted from an atom or molecule by an incident photon

Protonnoun

a stable particle with positive charge equal to the negative charge of an electron

Tau neutrinonoun

the neutrino associated with the tau lepton.; "When the third type of lepton, the tau, was discovered in 1975 at the Stanford Linear Accelerator…

Tauon neutrinonoun

the neutrino associated with the tau lepton.; "When the third type of lepton, the tau, was discovered in 1975 at the Stanford Linear Accelerator…

Valence electronnoun

an electron in the outer shell of an atom which can combine with other atoms to form molecules