Table of Contents
Why is the gluon massless?
The Higgs has a weak charge and therefore interacts with the W and Z bosons thus giving them mass. The Higgs does not have the electric or color charge and therefore does not interact with the photon or gluons thus leaving them massless.
Are photons and gluons massless?
The two particles physicists know to be (at least approximately) massless—photons and gluons—are both force-carrying particles, also known as gauge bosons. (The graviton, a gauge boson associated with gravity, is also expected be massless, but its existence hasn’t been confirmed yet.)
Are W bosons massless?
But the theory called for the force-carrying particles to be massless, even though scientists knew the theoretical W boson had to be heavy to account for its short range. Theorists accounted for the mass of the W by introducing another unseen mechanism.
Why do bosons have mass but photons are massless?
The fact that the W and Z bosons have mass while photons are massless was a major obstacle in developing electroweak theory. These particles are accurately described by an SU(2) gauge theory, but the bosons in a gauge theory must be massless. As a case in point, the photon is massless because electromagnetism is described by a U(1) gauge theory.
What are the characteristics of the W and Z bosons?
The W and Z bosons are together known as the weak or more generally as the intermediate vector bosons. . The W bosons have either a positive or negative electric charge of 1 elementary charge and are each other’s antiparticles. The Z boson is electrically neutral and is its own antiparticle. The three particles have a spin of 1.
What is the role of bosons in nuclear physics?
bosons are carrier particles that mediate the weak nuclear force, much as the photon is the carrier particle for the electromagnetic force. bosons are best known for their role in nuclear decay.
How does a boson change the charge of a particle?
The emission of a W+ or W− boson either raises or lowers the electric charge of the emitting particle by one unit, and also alters the spin by one unit. At the same time, the emission or absorption of a W± boson can change the type of the particle – for example changing a strange quark into an up quark.
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