gluonët

Gluonët are elementary particles that serve as the force carriers of the strong nuclear force in quantum chromodynamics (QCD). As gauge bosons associated with the SU(3) symmetry group, they mediate interactions between quarks, binding them together to form composite particles such as protons, neutrons, and other hadrons. Gluonët possess color charge, existing in combinations that allow them to interact with each other as well as with quarks, a property that distinguishes them from photons which mediate electromagnetism and lack self‑interaction.

Each gluon is massless and travels at the speed of light. Their color charge comes in eight distinct states, corresponding to the eight generators of the SU(3) group. Unlike the single type of photon, this multiplicity arises from the non‑Abelian nature of the strong force, leading to gluon self‑coupling. This self‑coupling contributes to the property of confinement, preventing isolated quarks and gluons from being observed in free form at low energies. As a result, gluonë are observed only within hadrons, where they contribute to the energy and momentum balance.

Experimental evidence for gluonët arises from high‑energy particle collisions. In electron‑positron annihilation and proton–proton scattering experiments, jets of hadrons are produced that reveal patterns consistent with gluon radiation, gluon splitting, and color confinement. The Large Hadron Collider and earlier experiments at CERN and SLAC have provided precise data confirming the QCD predictions of gluon behavior. Theoretical calculations, lattice QCD simulations, and phenomenological models continue to refine the understanding of gluonët, particularly regarding their role in the internal structure of hadrons, the mass generation of visible matter, and the thermodynamics of quark–gluon plasma in heavy‑ion collisions.