In particle physics, a lepton is an elementary particle of half-integer “1/2” spin that does not undergo strong interactions.
Two main classes of leptons exist, charged leptons, and neutral leptons.
charged |
electron |
muon |
tau |
neutral |
electron neutrino |
muon neutrino |
tau neutrino |
Charged leptons can combine with other particles to form various composite particles such as atoms and positronium, while neutrinos rarely interact with anything, and are consequently rarely observed.
The first neutrino, the electron neutrino, was proposed by Wolfgang Pauli in 1930 to explain certain characteristics of beta decay.
Leptons own various intrinsic properties, including electric charge, spin, and mass.
The first charged lepton, the electron, was theorized in the mid-19th century by a lot scientists and was discovered in 1897 by J. J. Thomson.
The best familiar of all leptons is the electron.
Electrons own the least mass of all the charged leptons.
Particle name | Symbol | Charge Q (e) | Spin J | Mass (MeV/c2) | Lifetime (seconds) |
Electron | − e | −1 | 1⁄2 | 0.510998910 (±13) | Stable |
Muon | − μ | −1 | 1⁄2 | 105.6583668 (±38) | 2.197019×10−6 (±21) |
Tau | − τ | −1 | 1⁄2 | 1776.84 (±.17) | 2.906×10−13 (±.010) |
Electron neutrino | νe | 0 | 1⁄2 | <0.0000022 | Unknown |
Muon neutrino | νμ | 0 | 1⁄2 | < 0.17 | Unknown |
Tau neutrino | ντ | 0 | 1⁄2 | < 15.5 | Unknown |
Muon, discovered by Carl D. Anderson in 1936, which was classified as a meson at the time.
Source:
[1] Wikipedia Contributors. “Lepton.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepton. Accessed 18 Nov. 2020.