antielectrons
Electrons' antimatter counterparts
Antielectrons are positrons—the antimatter counterparts of electrons.
They have the same mass as electrons but carry a positive charge instead of negative.
When an antielectron meets an electron, the two annihilate each other, converting their mass into energy.
Antielectrons occur naturally in cosmic rays and radioactive decay, and are used in PET scans for medical imaging.
Opposite-charge subatomic twin
- antihydrogenAntimatter version of simplest element
- antiatomAtom of antimatter
- antiprotonProton's antimatter counterpart
- antineutronNeutron's antimatter counterpart
antiquark · annihilation · gamma rays · CPT symmetry · cosmology · big bang · dark matter · cosmic rays
Fundamental particle without strong interactions
- subatomicSmaller than atoms
- fermionHalf-integer spin particle
- spinRapid rotation around axis
- chargeCost or accusation
mass · pair · quantum · wave function · antiparticle · elementary · chirality · particle accelerator
Highest-frequency electromagnetic radiation
- photonsDiscrete packets of radiance
- energy releaseStored power becoming free
- mass-energyUnified physical substance
- E=mc²Energy-mass conversion relationship
radiation · spectroscopy · lifetime · cross-section · material science
Theoretical physicist, antimatter predictor
- QEDProof-concluding abbreviation
- weak forceFundamental interaction causing radioactive decay
- beta decayRadioactive nucleon transformation process
- virtual particleTransient quantum field excitation
propagator · vertex · relativistic · field theory · perturbation · scattering
antiparticle
Opposite-charge subatomic twin
- antihydrogenAntimatter version of simplest element
- antiatomAtom of antimatter
- antiprotonProton's antimatter counterpart
antineutron · antiquark · annihilation · gamma rays · CPT symmetry · cosmology · big bang · dark matter · cosmic rays · PET scan
lepton
Fundamental particle without strong interactions
charge · mass · pair · quantum · wave function · antiparticle · elementary · chirality · particle accelerator · CERN
gamma rays
Highest-frequency electromagnetic radiation
- photonsDiscrete packets of radiance
- energy releaseStored power becoming free
- mass-energyUnified physical substance
E=mc² · radiation · spectroscopy · lifetime · cross-section · material science
Dirac
Theoretical physicist, antimatter predictor
- QEDProof-concluding abbreviation
- weak forceFundamental interaction causing radioactive decay
- beta decayRadioactive nucleon transformation process
virtual particle · propagator · vertex · relativistic · field theory · perturbation · scattering