noun
- Plural of meson; subatomic particles composed of a quark and an antiquark, with a mass between that of electrons and protons.
Usage: physics; technical
Examples
- Mesons are unstable particles that decay rapidly into other particles.
- Scientists study mesons to understand the fundamental forces of nature.
- Pions and kaons are examples of mesons found in particle physics.
- The discovery of mesons helped physicists develop the standard model of particle physics.
- Mesons are produced when high-energy cosmic rays collide with Earth's atmosphere.