V particle

V particle

[′vē ‚pärd·ə·kəl]

(particle physics)

The name first used for the unstable particles whose decay is responsible for the production of characteristic V-shaped tracks observed in cloud chambers exposed to cosmic radiation; they are neutral semistable particles such as neutral K mesons or lambda hyperons.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.