Mesons
Hadronic subatomic particles composed of one valence quark and one valence antiquark bound by gluons.
Governing formula
Quark Content: q q̄, Spin = 0, 1, Baryon Number = 0
SI unit
Composite Boson Class
In depth
Mesons possess integer spin (bosons) and zero baryon number. Because they consist of quark-antiquark pairs, mesons are inherently unstable and undergo rapid particle decay.
Examples in the real world
Pions (π⁺, π⁻, π⁰) acting as residual strong nuclear force mediators between nucleons, and Kaons (K-mesons).