What are mesons?

Mesons are subatomic particles composed of a quark and an antiquark, with a short lifespan.

Mesons are a type of subatomic particle that are composed of a quark and an antiquark. They are classified as bosons due to their integer spin, and they have a short lifespan, typically decaying within a few nanoseconds. Mesons were first predicted by Hideki Yukawa in 1935, and their existence was confirmed experimentally in 1947.

Mesons are important in the study of particle physics, as they are the mediators of the strong nuclear force that binds protons and neutrons together in atomic nuclei. Specifically, mesons are responsible for the residual strong force, which is the force that holds the nucleons together after the exchange of gluons has taken place.

There are many different types of mesons, each with their own unique properties. For example, the pion (π) is the lightest meson and is responsible for the majority of the strong nuclear force. The kaon (K) is another meson that is important in the study of particle physics, as it was the first particle to exhibit CP violation, which is a violation of the combined symmetry of charge conjugation (C) and parity (P).

Overall, mesons are an important class of subatomic particles that play a crucial role in our understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.