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Z particle |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.04 sec. |
Z particleElectrically neutral carrier of the weak force and the neutral partner of the electrically charged W particle. It is nearly 100 times more massive than the proton and has a lifetime of only about 10−25 second. Z particles were first observed in 1983 by Carlo Rubbia and Simon van der Meer at CERN. Further studies have shown a natural variation in mass that is related to the particle's lifetime through the uncertainty principle. Measurements show that when Z particles decay to neutrino-antineutrino pairs (see pair production), they produce only three types of lightweight neutrino, indicating that there are only three sets each of leptons and quarks. |
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| Descendants of this type of detector played key roles in the discoveries of several new particles, including the W and Z particles. The Higgs mechanism, responsible for generating the W and Z particle masses, would manifest itself in the form of a new fundamental force (bringing to five the number of fundamental forces in nature) and at least one new particle to carry that force--perhaps a single boson, possibly a bushel load of particles. |
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Z particle
