| the mathematical operation of replacing every elementary particle by its antiparticle. Symbol: C |
| charge conjugation n. Symbol C
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| charge conjugation
A reversal of the sign of the charge, the magnetic moment, and other internal quantum numbers of every particle in the system to which it is applied, effectively turning every particle into its antiparticle. In the mathematics of quantum mechanics, this operation is denoted by the operator "C". It had long been assumed that charge conjugation, together with parity conjugation, should leave the behavior of a physical system unchanged, but observations of kaon decay suggest this is not always the case. See also conservation law. |
charge conjugation
in particle physics, an operation that replaces particles with antiparticles (and vice versa) in equations describing subatomic particles. The name charge conjugation arises because a given particle and its antiparticle generally carry opposite electric charge. The positive electron, or positron, for example, is the antiparticle of the ordinary negative electron.
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