Help a science noob: What is a meson?

[sciencenoob]

Hello, first post.

I am trying to understand what a meson is. I have googled this and looked at both the wiki page and several intro physics presentations, but the concept is eluding me.

Could someone please explain what a meson is?

Thanks,
sciencenoob

 

[ZapperZ]

Hello, first post.

I am trying to understand what a meson is. I have googled this and looked at both the wiki page and several intro physics presentations, but the concept is eluding me.

Could someone please explain what a meson is?

Thanks,
sciencenoob

What exactly did you find and what did you not understand? Without you telling us that, we might give you the very same information that you could not comprehend.

Zz.

 

[sciencenoob]

Thanks ZapperZ for the reply. I am essentially trying to translate the below into English so that a non-science person with no physics background can understand it. I don't really understand any of this, actually. Is a meson a subparticle that is, in turn, bound together by other subparticles, and which somehow combines with something to create larger particles? It seems to be some kind of building block but I do not understand the relationship, further confused by the fact that they are "unstable" and "last only a few hundredths of a microsecond." Thank you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meson

In particle physics, mesons (/ˈmiːzɒnz/ or /ˈmɛzɒnz/) are hadronic subatomic particles composed of one quark and one antiquark, bound together by the strong interaction. Because mesons are composed of sub-particles, they have a physical size, with a radius roughly one femtometre, which is about 2⁄3 the size of a proton or neutron. All mesons are unstable, with the longest-lived lasting for only a few hundredths of a microsecond. Charged mesons decay (sometimes through intermediate particles) to form electrons and neutrinos. Uncharged mesons may decay to photons.

 

[retro10x]

Have you read Wiki's "simple english" version of their Meson article?

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meson

 

[pmacias]

Sure, I'd be happy to help explain what a meson is. A meson is a type of subatomic particle that is made up of a quark and an antiquark. Quarks are the building blocks of protons and neutrons, which make up the nucleus of an atom. Mesons are classified as "bosons," which means they have integer spin, and they are also considered "hadrons," which means they are composed of quarks. Mesons are unstable particles and typically only exist for a very short amount of time before decaying into other particles. They play a crucial role in the strong nuclear force, which is responsible for holding the nucleus of an atom together. I hope this helps to clarify the concept of mesons for you. Let me know if you have any other questions. Keep exploring and learning about the fascinating world of science!