boson

Other forms: bosons

A boson is a nuclei with an even mass number. Bosons are subatomic particles.

An atom isn’t the smallest thing in the world: there are also subatomic particles, such as bosons. Bosons get their name from Indian physicist S. N. Bose, who first described their behavior. If you want to understand bosons thoroughly, you'd better take a class in in particle physics. In a nutshell, a boson has a symmetric wave-function, therefore obeying Bose-Einstein statistics but not the Pauli exclusion principle. Physicists study bosons to understand how the universe works at the tiniest level.

Definitions of boson

1. noun

   any particle that obeys Bose-Einstein statistics but not the Pauli exclusion principle; all nuclei with an even mass number are bosons
   types:

   gauge boson

   a particle that mediates the interaction of two elementary particles

   meson, mesotron

   an elementary particle responsible for the forces in the atomic nucleus; a hadron with a baryon number of 0

   b-meson

   exceedingly short-lived meson

   gluon

   a gauge boson that mediates strong interaction among quarks

   graviton

   a gauge boson that mediates the (extremely weak) gravitational interactions between particles

   intermediate vector boson

   a gauge boson that mediates weak interactions between particles

   J particle, psi particle

   a neutral meson with a large mass

   K particle, k-meson, kaon, kappa-meson

   an unstable meson produced as the result of a high-energy particle collision

   photon

   a quantum of electromagnetic radiation; an elementary particle that is its own antiparticle

   pi-meson, pion

   a meson involved in holding the nucleus together; produced as the result of high-energy particle collision

   type of:

   particle, subatomic particle

   a body having finite mass and internal structure but negligible dimensions