Antielectron: meaning, definitions and examples
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antielectron
[ ˌæn.tiˈiː.lek.trɒn ]
particle physics
An antielectron, also known as a positron, is the antimatter counterpart of the electron. It has the same mass as an electron but carries a positive charge. When a positron encounters an electron, they can annihilate each other and produce gamma-ray photons.
Synonyms
Examples of usage
- Positrons are produced in certain types of radioactive decay.
- In positron emission tomography, a positron is emitted from a radioactive atom.
- Researchers study antielectrons to understand the properties of antimatter.
Translations
Translations of the word "antielectron" in other languages:
🇵🇹 antielectrão
🇮🇳 एंटी इलेक्ट्रॉन
🇩🇪 Antielektron
🇮🇩 antielektron
🇺🇦 антиелектрон
🇵🇱 antielektron
🇯🇵 反電子 (はんでんし)
🇫🇷 antielectron
🇪🇸 antielectrón
🇹🇷 antielektron
🇰🇷 반전자 (반전자)
🇸🇦 أنتي إلكترون
🇨🇿 antielektron
🇸🇰 antielektrón
🇨🇳 反电子 (fǎn diànzǐ)
🇸🇮 antielektron
🇮🇸 andelectrón
🇰🇿 антиэлектрон
🇬🇪 ანტიური ელექტრონი
🇦🇿 anti-elektron
🇲🇽 antielectrón
Etymology
The term 'antielectron' originated from the study of antimatter in the mid-20th century. The concept of antimatter was first devised by physicist Paul Dirac in 1928 as he formulated his theory combining quantum mechanics and special relativity. Dirac predicted the existence of 'negative energy' states, leading to the conclusion that each particle has a corresponding antiparticle. In 1932, Carl Anderson conducted experiments that confirmed the existence of positrons, essentially solidifying the concept of an antielectron. The term itself combines 'anti-', meaning opposite or against, with 'electron', which is derived from the Greek word 'ēlektron', meaning amber, reflecting the early experiments that demonstrated electric charge in materials.