A particle containing two or more elementary particles is a composite particle. Particles currently thought to be elementary include electrons, the fundamental fermions ( quarks, leptons, antiquarks, and antileptons, which generally are matter particles and antimatter particles), as well as the fundamental bosons ( gauge bosons and the Higgs boson), which generally are force particles that mediate interactions among fermions. A Muon is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with an electric charge of −1 e and a spin of 1/2, but with a much greater mass.In particle physics, an elementary particle or fundamental particle is a subatomic particle that is not composed of other particles.Leptons are lighter particles and are not affected by strong force.Mesons are subatomic particles composed of one quark and one antiquark.Baryons are subatomic particles made up of three quarks.Hadrons are the heaviest particles and are affected by strong force.Based on mass, subatomic particles are classified as Hadrons and Leptons.

Subatomic particles are classified based on their mass, type of interaction and electrical charge.Muons are denoted by μ− and antimuons by μ+. Like all elementary particles, the Muon has a corresponding antiparticle of opposite charge (+1 e) but equal mass and spin: the antimuon (also called a positive Muon). Muons’ decay almost always produce at least three particles, which must include an electron of the same charge as the Muon and two neutrinos of different types. The Muon is an unstable subatomic particle with a mean lifetime of 2.2 μs, much longer than many other subatomic particles. Electrons, muons, and neutrinos are some examples of Leptons.Ī Muon is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with an electric charge of −1 e and a spin of 1/2, but with a much greater mass. These type of particles do not appear to be composed of any smaller particles and are, therefore, considered to be fundamental particles. Leptons are particles that are not affected by the strong force. Charged Mesons decay, sometimes through mediating particles, to form electrons and neutrinos. All Mesons are unstable, with the longest-lived lasting for only a few hundredths of a microsecond. Because Mesons are composed of quark sub particles, they have physical size, notably a diameter of roughly one femtometer. Mesons are subatomic particles composed of one quark and one antiquark bound together by strong interactions. Each Baryon has a corresponding antiparticle (an antibaryon) where quarks are replaced by their corresponding antiquarks.

The most familiar Baryons are the protons and neutrons that make up most of the mass of the visible matter in the universe. As quark-based particles, Baryons participate in the strong interaction. The name “Baryon” comes from the Greek word for “heavy” (barys), because, at the time of their naming, most known elementary particles had lower masses than Baryons. Protons and neutrons are examples of Baryons.īaryons are subatomic particles made up of three quarks. Pions and Kaons are examples of Mesons particles. Baryons are the heaviest particles of all, followed by mesons. This group is then split up into Baryons and Mesons. They are subject to the strong nuclear force and they are not fundamental particles as they are made up of quarks. In this article, classification based on mass of the particles is explained. The following figure shows the classification of subatomic particles based on their mass. Classification based on the mass of the particles is the most basic way of understanding the subatomic particles. Subatomic particles are classified based on their mass, type of interaction and electrical charge.

Properties of subatomic particles