Encyclopedia

Elementary Particles

Leptons

ParticleSymbolMass (MeV/c2)Electric Charge
electrone-0.511-1
muonμ-105.7-1
tauτ1784.1-1
electron neutrinoνe<7.3×10-60
muon neutrinoνμ<0.270
tau neutrinoντ<350

Quarks1

downd5–15- 1/3
upu2–8 2/3
stranges100–300- 1/3
charmc1300–1700 2/3
bottomb4700–5300- 1/3
topt>91,000 2/3

Gauge Bosons

photonγ00
gluong00
W-bosonW80,2001
Z-bosonZ91,1700

Some Sample Hadrons

ParticleSymbolMass (MeV/c2)Electric ChargeQuark Content
positive pionπ+139.61ud
positive kaonK+493.71us
protonp938.31uud
neutronn939.60udd
lambdaΛ1115.60uds

For each of these particles, except the photon, gluon, and Z-boson, there is an antiparticle with the same mass and opposite charge. In most cases the antiparticle is denoted by an overbar over the particle symbol (e.g., the symbol for the antiproton is p.

1 Because quarks cannot be isolated, the masses given for them are approximate.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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