gluon

(noun)

A massless gauge boson that binds quarks together to form baryons, mesons and other hadrons; it is associated with the strong nuclear force.

Related Terms

Examples of gluon in the following topics:

  • Binding Energy and Nuclear Forces

    • This more powerful force is mediated by particles called gluons.
    • Gluons hold quarks together with a force like that of an electric charge (but of far greater power).
    • Similarly, even though nucleons are made of quarks in combinations which cancel most gluon forces (they are "color neutral"), some combinations of quarks and gluons leak away from nucleons in the form of short-range nuclear force fields that extend from one nucleon to another nucleon in close proximity.
    • These nuclear forces are very weak compared to direct gluon forces ("color forces" or "strong forces") inside nucleons, and the nuclear forces extend over only a few nuclear diameters, falling exponentially with distance.

  • Three States of Matter

    • Further states, such as quark-gluon plasmas, are also believed to be possible.