Grundpartiklar

Grundpartiklar, or fundamental particles, are the elementary constituents of matter and force in the universe, as described by the Standard Model of particle physics. These particles are not understood to be composed of smaller entities. The Standard Model categorizes fundamental particles into two main groups: fermions and bosons.

Fermions are the matter particles. They are further divided into quarks and leptons. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, such as protons and neutrons. There are six types of quarks: up, down, charm, strange, top, and bottom. Leptons, on the other hand, do not experience the strong nuclear force. The known leptons are the electron, muon, tau, and their corresponding neutrinos: electron neutrino, muon neutrino, and tau neutrino.

Bosons are force-carrying particles. They mediate the fundamental interactions between fermions. The four fundamental forces are the electromagnetic force, the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, and gravity. The photon mediates the electromagnetic force. The gluons mediate the strong nuclear force. The W and Z bosons mediate the weak nuclear force. The hypothetical graviton is believed to mediate gravity, though it has not yet been experimentally confirmed. The Higgs boson is also a fundamental particle, responsible for giving mass to other fundamental particles.