HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

In
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...
, a neutral particle is a
particle In the physical sciences, a particle (or corpuscule in older texts) is a small localized object which can be described by several physical or chemical properties, such as volume, density, or mass. They vary greatly in size or quantity, from ...
with no
electric charge Electric charge is the physical property of matter that causes charged matter to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field. Electric charge can be ''positive'' or ''negative'' (commonly carried by protons and electrons res ...
, such as a neutron. The term ''neutral particles'' should not be confused with '' truly neutral particles'', the subclass of neutral particles that are also identical to their own
antiparticle In particle physics, every type of particle is associated with an antiparticle with the same mass but with opposite physical charges (such as electric charge). For example, the antiparticle of the electron is the positron (also known as an antie ...
s.


Stable or long-lived neutral particles

Long-lived neutral particles provide a challenge in the construction of
particle detector In experimental and applied particle physics, nuclear physics, and nuclear engineering, a particle detector, also known as a radiation detector, is a device used to detect, track, and/or identify ionizing particles, such as those produced by nu ...
s, because they do not interact electromagnetically, except possibly through their
magnetic moment In electromagnetism, the magnetic moment is the magnetic strength and orientation of a magnet or other object that produces a magnetic field. Examples of objects that have magnetic moments include loops of electric current (such as electroma ...
s. This means that they do not leave tracks of ionized particles or curve in
magnetic field A magnetic field is a vector field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular to its own velocity and to ...
s. Examples of such particles include
photon A photon () is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. Photons are massless, so they alwa ...
s,
neutron The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , which has a neutral (not positive or negative) charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. Protons and neutrons constitute the atomic nucleus, nuclei of atoms. Since protons and ...
s, and
neutrino A neutrino ( ; denoted by the Greek letter ) is a fermion (an elementary particle with spin of ) that interacts only via the weak interaction and gravity. The neutrino is so named because it is electrically neutral and because its rest mass ...
s.


Other neutral particles

Other neutral particles are very short-lived and decay before they could be detected even if they were charged. They have been observed only indirectly. They include: *
Z boson In particle physics, the W and Z bosons are vector bosons that are together known as the weak bosons or more generally as the intermediate vector bosons. These elementary particles mediate the weak interaction; the respective symbols are , , and ...
s * Dozens of heavy neutral
hadron In particle physics, a hadron (; grc, ἁδρός, hadrós; "stout, thick") is a composite subatomic particle made of two or more quarks held together by the strong interaction. They are analogous to molecules that are held together by the ...
s: ** Neutral
mesons In particle physics, a meson ( or ) is a type of hadronic subatomic particle composed of an equal number of quarks and antiquarks, usually one of each, bound together by the strong interaction. Because mesons are composed of quark subparticles, ...
such as the and ** The neutral
Delta baryon The Delta baryons (or baryons, also called Delta resonances) are a family of subatomic particle made of three up or down quarks (u or d quarks), the same constituent quarks that make up the more familiar protons and neutrons. Properties Four c ...
(), and other neutral baryons, such as the and


See also

*
Neutral particle oscillation In particle physics, neutral particle oscillation is the transmutation of a particle with zero electric charge into another neutral particle due to a change of a non-zero internal quantum number, via an interaction that does not conserve that quantu ...
* Truly neutral particle


References

* K. Nakamura et al. (
Particle Data Group The Particle Data Group (or PDG) is an international collaboration of particle physicists that compiles and reanalyzes published results related to the properties of particles and fundamental interactions. It also publishes reviews of theoretical ...
), JP G 37, 075021 (2010) and 2011 partial update for the 2012 edition Particle listings - gamma
/ref> Particle listings - Z boson
/ref> Particle listings - Neutrino Properties
/ref> Particle listings - Pi0
/ref> Particle listings - K0
/ref> Particle listings –
/ref> Particle listings – (1232)
/ref> Particle listings - Lambda
/ref> Particle listings - Xi0
/ref>
Particle physics {{Particle-stub