Lepton: Difference between revisions

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imported>John R. Brews
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A '''lepton''' is a [[spin]] 1/2 elementary particle that is not subject to the strong nuclear force. There are six leptons (apart from their antiparticles): the [[electron]], [[muon]], [[tau]] and their associated [[neutrino]]s. Leptons can possess [[electric charge]] as in the case of the electron (e<sup>−</sup>), muon (&mu;<sup>−</sup>) and tau (&tau;<sup>−</sup>) (all negatively charged), and the corresponding antileptons (all positively charged), or can be electric charge neutral like the electron neutrino (&nu;<sub>e</sub>), muon neutrino (&nu;<sub>&mu;</sub>), or tau neutrino (&nu;<sub>&tau;</sub>).<ref name=Cottingham/><ref name=Quinn/>  
A '''lepton''' is a [[spin]] 1/2 elementary particle that is not subject to the strong nuclear force. There are six leptons (apart from their antiparticles), sometimes referred to as ''flavors'' of lepton:<ref name=Srednicki/> the [[electron]], [[muon]], [[tau]] and their associated [[neutrino]]s. Leptons can possess [[electric charge]] as in the case of the electron (e<sup>−</sup>), muon (&mu;<sup>−</sup>) and tau (&tau;<sup>−</sup>) (all negatively charged), and the corresponding antileptons (all positively charged), or can be electric charge neutral like the electron neutrino (&nu;<sub>e</sub>), muon neutrino (&nu;<sub>&mu;</sub>), or tau neutrino (&nu;<sub>&tau;</sub>).<ref name=Cottingham/><ref name=Quinn/>  


Having spin 1/2, all leptons are [[fermion]]s.<ref name=Lincoln/>
Having spin 1/2, all leptons are [[fermion]]s.<ref name=Lincoln/>
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{{cite book |title=The Mystery of the Missing Antimatter |author=Helen R. Quinn, Yossi Nir |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=W_E2rAui1l8C&pg=PA98 |pages=p. 98 |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2010 |isbn=1400835712}}
{{cite book |title=The Mystery of the Missing Antimatter |author=Helen R. Quinn, Yossi Nir |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=W_E2rAui1l8C&pg=PA98 |pages=p. 98 |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2010 |isbn=1400835712}}
    
    
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<ref name=Srednicki>
{{cite book |title=Quantum Field Theory |author=Mark Allen Srednicki |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=5OepxIG42B4C&pg=PA549 |pages=p. 549 |chapter=Table 88.1: The six flavors of lepton. |isbn=0521864496 |year=2007 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}
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A lepton is a spin 1/2 elementary particle that is not subject to the strong nuclear force. There are six leptons (apart from their antiparticles), sometimes referred to as flavors of lepton:[1] the electron, muon, tau and their associated neutrinos. Leptons can possess electric charge as in the case of the electron (e), muon (μ) and tau (τ) (all negatively charged), and the corresponding antileptons (all positively charged), or can be electric charge neutral like the electron neutrino (νe), muon neutrino (νμ), or tau neutrino (ντ).[2][3]

Having spin 1/2, all leptons are fermions.[4]

References

  1. Mark Allen Srednicki (2007). “Table 88.1: The six flavors of lepton.”, Quantum Field Theory. Cambridge University Press, p. 549. ISBN 0521864496. 
  2. WN Cottingham, DA Greenwood (2007). “Table 1.2: Leptons”, An introduction to the Standard Model of particle physics, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, p. 3. ISBN 978-0-521-85249-4. 
  3. Helen R. Quinn, Yossi Nir (2010). The Mystery of the Missing Antimatter. Princeton University Press, p. 98. ISBN 1400835712. 
  4. Don Lincoln (2004). Understanding the universe: from quarks to the cosmos. World Scientific, p. 143. ISBN 9812387056.