The standard model of matter accepted by most physicists today postulates two fundamental types of particles. One type includes those particles of which matter is made, namely quarks and leptons. The second type consists of mediating particles that...

Z bosons are heavy neutral particles that mediate the weak nuclear interaction. In standard high-energy units, they have a mass of 92 GeV. The Z boson has no charge, and like the photon, it is its own antiparticle. Z bosons interact very much like...

W mesons, or W bosons, are heavy charged particles that mediate the weak nuclear interaction. In standard high-energy units, they have a mass of 81 GeV. There are two varieties, the W+ with charge +e, and its antiparticle, the W- , with charge -e. The...

Electrically charged subatomic particle that transmits the weak force, which governs radioactive decay (&see; radioactivity) in some atomic nuclei. The discovery of the W particle in 1983 by teams led by Carlo Rubbia and Simon van der Meer confirmed...

Electrically neutral carrier of the weak force and the neutral partner of the electrically charged W particle. It is nearly 100 times more massive than the proton and has a lifetime of only about 10−25 second. Z particles were first observed in...

In physics, the W and Z bosons are the elementary particles that mediate the weak force. Their discovery has been heralded as a major success for the Standard Model of particle physics. The W particle is named after the weak nuclear force. The Z...