muon
Unstable charged lepton
A muon is a subatomic particle similar to an electron but about 200 times heavier.
Muons are produced when cosmic rays strike the atmosphere and in particle accelerators.
They're unstable, decaying in about two microseconds.
The muon's unexpected discovery in 1936 prompted physicist I.I.
Rabi's famous quip: "Who ordered that?"
Fundamental particle without strong interactions
- subatomicSmaller than atoms
- neutrinoUncharged, near-massless particle
- electronNegative subatomic particle
- tauGreek nineteenth letter
fermion · antiparticle · pion · decay · lifetime · mass · charge · spin
Instrument sensing subatomic entities
- cloud chamberRadiation visualization apparatus
- bubble chamberParticle physics detection vessel
- calorimeterInstrument measuring heat transfer
- spectrometerMeasures electromagnetic radiation properties
trigger · signal · background · event · reconstruction
Dual-beam particle accelerator
- synchrotronCircular charged-particle accelerator
- beamStructural support member
- targetObject of pursuit
- CERNEuropean nuclear research organization
cooling · injection · luminosity · bunch · production
Accepted reference framework
- flavorCharacteristic taste quality
- chiralityMirror-image non-superimposability
- symmetryInvariance under transformation
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
Energetic particle from space
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- sea levelElevation reference point
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
lepton
Fundamental particle without strong interactions
- subatomicSmaller than atoms
- neutrinoUncharged, near-massless particle
- electronNegative subatomic particle
tau · fermion · antiparticle · pion · decay · lifetime · mass · charge · spin · half-life
particle detector
Instrument sensing subatomic entities
- cloud chamberRadiation visualization apparatus
- bubble chamberParticle physics detection vessel
- calorimeterInstrument measuring heat transfer
spectrometer · trigger · signal · background · event · reconstruction
collider
Dual-beam particle accelerator
- synchrotronCircular charged-particle accelerator
- beamStructural support member
- targetObject of pursuit
CERN · cooling · injection · luminosity · bunch · production
standard model
Accepted reference framework
cosmic ray
Energetic particle from space
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- sea levelElevation reference point
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- physicsphysics, momentum, atom, acceleration, gravity
- charged particlesion, cation, anion, proton, electron
- particleselectrons, electron, protons, proton, neutrons
- leptonselectron, tau, positron
- particle physicsquark, quarks, lepton, leptons, boson
- cosmic rayscosmic rays, cosmic radiation, solar rays, proton, protons