W and Z particles

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W and Z particles

W and Z particles elementary particles that mediate, or carry, the fundamental force associated with weak interactions . The discovery of the W and Z particles at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland, in the early 1980s was an important confirmation of electroweak theory, which unifies the electromagnetic and weak forces. The W and Z particles are quite massive for elementary particles; they are roughly 100 times as massive as the proton.

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weak interactions

weak interactions actions between elementary particles mediated, or carried, by W and Z particles and that are responsible for nuclear decay. Weak interactions are one of four fundamental interactions in nature, the others being gravitation , electromagnetism, and the strong interactions .

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