[boh-son] 
| any particle that obeys Bose-Einstein statistics: bosons have integral spins: 0, 1, 2, … |
| bo·son (bō'sŏn) n. Any of a class of particles, such as the photon, pion, or alpha particle, that have zero or integral spin and obey statistical rules permitting any number of identical particles to occupy the same quantum state. [After Satyendra Nath Bose.] |
| boson (bō'sŏn) Pronunciation Key
Any of a class of elementary or composite particles, including the photon, pion, and gluon, that are not subject to the Pauli exclusion principle (that is, any two bosons can potentially be in the same quantum state). The value of the spin of a boson is always an integer. Mesons are bosons, as are the gauge bosons (the particles that mediate the fundamental forces). They are named after the physicist Satyendra Nath Bose. Compare fermion, See Note at elementary particle. See Table at subatomic particle. |
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