Word.ws English Dictionary

J/psi particle

Syllables: J·ψ·par·ti·cleUK/ˌdʒeɪ ˈsaɪ ˈpɑːtɪkl̩/US/ˌdʒeɪ ˈsaɪ ˈpɑɹtɪkəl/

J/psi particle noun: a subatomic particle with an unusually long lifetime (7.2 × 10⁻²¹ s) and a large mass (approx. 3.097 GeV/c²); a bound state of a charm quark and an anti-charm quark (the most common form of charmonium).

j/psi particle: a subatomic particle with an unusually long lifetime (7.2 × 10⁻²¹ s) and a large mass (approx....
Image: Harp, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

J/ψ particle (plural J/psi particles)

  1. (particle) A subatomic particle with an unusually long lifetime (7.2 × 10⁻²¹ s) and a large mass (approx. 3.097 GeV/c²); a bound state of a charm quark and an anti-charm quark (the most common form of charmonium).
    • We report the observation of a heavy particle J, with mass m = 3.1 GeV and width approximately zero.1974, J. J. Aubert et al., “Experimental Observation of a Heavy Particle J”, in Physical Review Letters, volume 33, number 23, →DOI, pages 1404–1406
    • We denote this resonance as ψ(3105).1974, J. E. Augustin et al., “Discovery of a Narrow Resonance in e⁺e⁻ Annihilation”, in Physical Review Letters, volume 33, number 23, →DOI, pages 1406–1408
    Synonyms:
    J/psi meson, psion

Synonyms of J/psi particle

Forms of J/psi particle

pluralJ/psi particles
alternative formJ/ψ meson
alternative formJ/psi meson
alternative formJ/ψ particle
alternative formJ particle
alternative formpsion

Origin of J/psi particle

A compound of J, ψ (ps) (psi), and particle. The particle was discovered independently in 1974 by two research groups, leading to the "November Revolution" in particle physics. * The group led by Samuel Ting at Brookhaven National Laboratory proposed the name J, reputedly because the shape of the Chinese character for Ting (丁) resembles a J, though Ting also cited the symbol for electromagnetic current, j_μ(x), as a reason. * The group led by Burton Richter at SLAC proposed the name ψ (psi). Richter initially preferred "SP" (for the SPEAR accelerator), but chose "psi" as it contained "SP" in reverse order and was the only remaining Greek letter deemed suitable; coincidently, the particle's decay pattern in spark chambers resembled the letter ψ. The compromise name J/ψ was adopted to acknowledge both discoveries.

Words that rhyme with J/psi particle

Questions about J/psi particle

What does J/psi particle mean?
J/psi particle means a subatomic particle with an unusually long lifetime (7.2 × 10⁻²¹ s) and a large mass (approx. 3.097 GeV/c²); a bound state of a charm quark and an anti-charm quark (the most common form of charmonium).
What part of speech is J/psi particle?
J/psi particle is a noun.
How do you pronounce J/psi particle?
J/psi particle is pronounced /ˌdʒeɪ ˈsaɪ ˈpɑːtɪkl̩/ (UK).
What is the plural of J/psi particle?
The plural of J/psi particle is J/psi particles.

Words near J/psi particle in the dictionary

  1. J/Oed
  2. J/Oing
  3. J/Os
  4. J/psi meson
  5. J/psi mesons
  6. J/psi particle
  7. J/psi particles
  8. j/s
  9. J/ψ meson
  10. J/ψ particle
  11. j00

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: J/psi particle (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “J/psi particle.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/j%2Fpsi_particle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.