Muon
A muon is an elementary particle that is like a heavier, unstable version of the electron.[1] It is a lepton, one of the group of particles that do not feel the strong nuclear force.[2] Like the electron, the muon has an electric charge.[3]
Discovery
Muons were discovered in 1937, in experiments studying cosmic rays.[4] Its discoverers could tell that it was not the particle that carries the strong force, because it travelled too far through matter to be feeling that force.[5]
Properties
The muon's mass is about 105.7 MeV/c², roughly 200 times the mass of the electron (0.511 MeV/c²). It is unstable and lasts on average about 2.2 millionths of a second before it decays.[6] A muon usually decays into an electron, a muon neutrino and an electron antineutrino.[7]
In the Standard Model, the muon and the muon neutrino form the second of three generations of leptons.[8] Every particle has an antimatter partner, and the muon's antiparticle has a positive charge.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ "33.4 Particles, Patterns, and Conservation Laws". College Physics 2e. OpenStax. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
Muons were discovered in cosmic ray experiments in 1937, and they seemed to be heavy, unstable versions of electrons and positrons.
- ↑ "33.4 Particles, Patterns, and Conservation Laws". College Physics 2e. OpenStax. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
So muons are leptons with a family of their own
- ↑ "The Standard Model". CERN. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
The electron, the muon and the tau all have an electric charge and a sizeable mass
- ↑ "33.4 Particles, Patterns, and Conservation Laws". College Physics 2e. OpenStax. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
Muons were discovered in cosmic ray experiments in 1937
- ↑ "33.4 Particles, Patterns, and Conservation Laws". College Physics 2e. OpenStax. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
This was the way those who discovered the muon knew it could not be the particle that carries the strong force—its penetration or range was too great for it to be feeling the strong force.
- ↑ "33.4 Particles, Patterns, and Conservation Laws". College Physics 2e. OpenStax. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
- ↑ "33.4 Particles, Patterns, and Conservation Laws". College Physics 2e. OpenStax. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
- ↑ "The Standard Model". CERN. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
the "muon" and the "muon neutrino"
- ↑ "33.4 Particles, Patterns, and Conservation Laws". College Physics 2e. OpenStax. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
Every particle in nature has an antimatter counterpart