Sähköheikkovuorovaikutus

Sähköheikkovuorovaikutus, also known as the electroweak interaction, is one of the four fundamental forces of nature. It describes the unification of the electromagnetic force and the weak nuclear force. At high energies, these two forces behave as a single unified force. As the energy decreases, the symmetry breaks, and the electromagnetic and weak forces become distinct. This phenomenon was theorized by Sheldon Glashow, Abdus Salam, and Steven Weinberg, who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 for their work.

The theory of electroweak interaction is a cornerstone of the Standard Model of particle physics. It explains the interactions of fundamental particles such as quarks and leptons. The force carriers of the electroweak interaction are the photon (for electromagnetism) and the W and Z bosons (for the weak force). The photon is massless and mediates electromagnetic phenomena like light and electric charge. The W and Z bosons are massive and mediate the weak force, which is responsible for certain types of radioactive decay, such as beta decay, and plays a crucial role in nuclear fusion within stars. The mass of the W and Z bosons is a key factor in the short range of the weak force compared to the infinite range of electromagnetism. The concept of symmetry breaking is central to understanding why these forces appear different at the energies we typically observe.