Half-integer spin in the context of Boson

Half-integer spin in the context of Boson

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⭐ Core Definition: Half-integer spin

In particle physics, a fermion is a subatomic particle that follows Fermi–Dirac statistics. Fermions have a half-integer spin (spin ⁠1/2⁠, spin ⁠3/2⁠, etc.) and obey the Pauli exclusion principle. These particles include all quarks and leptons and all composite particles made of an odd number of these, such as all baryons and many atoms and nuclei. Fermions differ from bosons, which obey Bose–Einstein statistics.

Some fermions are elementary particles (such as electrons), and some are composite particles (such as protons). For example, according to the spin-statistics theorem in relativistic quantum field theory, particles with integer spin are bosons. In contrast, particles with half-integer spin are fermions.

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Half-integer spin in the context of Lepton

In particle physics, a lepton is an elementary particle of half-integer spin (spin ⁠1/2⁠) that does not undergo strong interactions. Two main classes of leptons exist: charged leptons (also known as the electron-like leptons or muons), including the electron, muon, and tauon, and neutral leptons, better known as neutrinos. Charged leptons can combine with other particles to form various composite particles such as atoms and positronium, while neutrinos rarely interact with anything, and are consequently rarely observed. The best known of all leptons is the electron.

There are six types of leptons, known as flavours, grouped in three generations. The first-generation leptons, also called electronic leptons, comprise the electron (e
) and the electron neutrino (ν
e); the second are the muonic leptons, comprising the muon (μ
) and the muon neutrino (ν
μ); and the third are the tauonic leptons, comprising the tau (τ
) and the tau neutrino (ν
τ). Electrons have the least mass of all the charged leptons. The heavier muons and taus will rapidly change into electrons and neutrinos through a process of particle decay: the transformation from a higher mass state to a lower mass state. Thus electrons are stable and the most common charged lepton in the universe, whereas muons and taus can only be produced in high-energy collisions (such as those involving cosmic rays and those carried out in particle accelerators).

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← Lepton ← Leptons ← Antilepton
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Subatomic particle → Boson → Hadron → Particle physics → Fermi–Dirac statistics → Half-integer → Spin 1/2 → Spin (physics) → Pauli exclusion principle → Quark → Lepton → Composite particle → Even and odd → Baryon → Atom → Atomic nucleus → Bose–Einstein statistics → Elementary particle → Electron → Proton → Spin-statistics theorem → Theory of relativity → Quantum field theory → Integer → Spin (physics) →