9 Glossary

angular momentum

a property relating to rotational motion

anti-particle

a particle which is the same as its respective particle in almost every way except its charge is reversed.

colour

a threefold property possessed by quarks, a bit like electric charge, which is believed to be the cause of the strong force.

colour force

the force that binds quarks together

electron

a negatively charged particle that is one of the constituents of atoms

flavour

the property that distinguishes between types of quarks, there are six flavours: up, down, strange, charmed, top and bottom

gamma matrix

a matrix used to describe the internal organisation of the constituent quarks inside the relevant particle

gauge theory

a theory of particles and the forces which act on them

gluon

the carriers of the strong force between quarks

lepton

a particle that does not experience the strong force, ie. the electron

maps

a collections of linked modules in Explorer

meson

a particle constisting of a quark anti-quark pair

modules

a building block within Explorer in which each module performs its own function

Monte Carlo

a random statistical method used in many physical simulations

neutrino

an electrically neutral, massless lepton of which there are three known varieties one of which partners the electron

pion

the lightest known meson of which there are three forms: and with charges +1, 0 and -1 respectively

QCD

- Quantum Chromodynamics: the theory describing the interaction of colour and electric charges

quark

regarded as one of the fundamental building blocks of matter

rho

a meson

spin

a particle property that is a measure of angular momentum

strong force

the force that holds protons and neutrons together. It is believed to result from the force between quarks

UKQCD

United Kingdom Quantum Chromodynamics Group