Tauonium
Encyclopedia
Tauonium is an exotic atom
consisting in either a tauon and antitauon (true tauonium) or antitauon and an electron
. The true tauonium is difficult to detect. Its detection is important for quantum electrodynamics
.
Exotic atom
An exotic atom is an otherwise normal atom in which one or more sub-atomic particles have been replaced by other particles of the same charge. For example, electrons may be replaced by other negatively charged particles such as muons or pions...
consisting in either a tauon and antitauon (true tauonium) or antitauon and an electron
Electron
The electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
. The true tauonium is difficult to detect. Its detection is important for quantum electrodynamics
Quantum electrodynamics
Quantum electrodynamics is the relativistic quantum field theory of electrodynamics. In essence, it describes how light and matter interact and is the first theory where full agreement between quantum mechanics and special relativity is achieved...
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