antiparticle

[ an-tee-pahr-ti-kuhl, an-tahy- ]

noun

, Physics.

1. a particle all of whose properties, as mass, spin, or charge, have the same magnitude as but, where appropriate, the opposite sign of a specific elementary particle; neutral pions, photons, and gravitons are considered to be their own antiparticles: Compare antimatter, annihilation ( def 3 ).

   The positron is the antiparticle of the electron.

antiparticle

/ ˈæntɪˌpɑːtɪkəl /

noun

1. any of a group of elementary particles that have the same mass and spin as their corresponding particle but have opposite values for all other nonzero quantum numbers. When a particle collides with its antiparticle, mutual annihilation occurs

antiparticle

/ ăn′tē-pär′tĭ-kəl,ăn′tī- /

1. A subatomic particle, such as an antiproton, having the same mass as its corresponding particle, but opposite values of other properties such as charge, parity, spin, and direction of magnetic moment. For example, the antiparticle of the electron is the positron, which has a charge that is equal in magnitude to that of the electron but opposite in sign. Some particles, such as photons, are nondistinct from their antiparticles. When a particle and its antiparticle collide, they may annihilate one other and produce other particles.

antiparticle

1. In physics , a rare form of subatomic matter that is a mirror image of normal matter. The antiparticle corresponding to an elementary particle has the same mass as the particle but is opposite in all other properties. The antiparticle corresponding to an electron is a positron , which has the same mass as an electron but a positive charge . Antiprotons have the same mass as protons but a negative charge. When matter and antimatter come together, the two particles annihilate each other, converting their mass into energy or into other types of particles.

Notes

As far as scientists can tell, there is almost no naturally occurring antimatter in the universe, although it is possible to make antimatter in particle accelerators .

Word History and Origins

Origin of antiparticle¹

First recorded in 1930–35; anti- + particle

Example Sentences

I fear if you ever put them in the same room it would be like a particle and its antiparticle colliding.

From Los Angeles Times

A muon collider would smash high-energy muons—heavier, unstable cousins of electrons—into their antiparticles in two huge particle detectors.

From Science Magazine

Majorana particles act as their own antiparticle, a unique property that could potentially allow them to be used as quantum bits in quantum computers.

From Science Daily

Finding that the electron neutrino is light would complicate planned experiments to search for a type of nuclear decay that would prove the neutrino is its own antiparticle.

From Science Magazine

For example, some physicists still believe the neutrino—a wispy particle that pervades the universe—might be its own antiparticle, which could also help explain why the universe is filled with more matter than antimatter.

From Science Magazine