top quark

noun

, Physics.

1. a heavy quark having electric charge 2/3 times the elementary charge.

top quark

/ tŏp /

1. A quark with a charge of +2/3. Its mass is larger than that of all the other quarks and is about 360,000 times that of the electron.
2. See Table at subatomic particle

Word History and Origins

Origin of top quark¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

Two sets of similar but heavier particles can pop into brief existence: the muon, muon neutrino, charm quark, and strange quark; and the tau, tau neutrino, top quark, and bottom quark.

From Science Magazine

Then, using the W boson mass and top quark mass, researchers made a similar prediction for the Higgs boson—which bore out spectacularly in 2012.

From Scientific American

And the third comprises the top quark, the bottom quark, the tau and the tau neutrino, where the charged fermions are even more massive.

From Nature

In June, researchers revealed that they had also seen the Higgs interact with the top quark.

From Nature

In June, researchers revealed that they had also seen the Higgs interact with the top quark, the most massive known elementary particle.

From Nature