Muons are subatomic particles similar to electrons, but with 200 times more mass. They are considered elementary particles and, together with electrons, taus, and neutrinos, are part of the lepton family. Muons were discovered in 1936 by Carl D. Anderson while studying cosmic radiation. They are produced in high-energy events and situations and have corresponding antiparticles. Most muons on Earth come from cosmic rays colliding with air particles.
A muon is a subatomic particle with a negative charge similar to an electron in that it has a similar negative charge and spin. For simplicity, they are commonly represented by the Greek letter mu, or μ. Muons are considered elementary particles. Elementary particles are subatomic particles that are not known to have any substructures. While an atom is made up of protons, neutrons, electrons, and other particles, elementary particles are not known to be made up of smaller particles.
The main difference between a muon and an electron is mass. Muons contain about 200 times more mass than electrons. Essentially, they’re much heavier versions of electrons. Consequently, they are much more penetrating than the lightest electrons.
Together with the electron, the tau and the three neutrinos, the muon is considered a lepton. Leptons are one of the families of elementary particles considered the building blocks of matter. The quark is another elementary particle that receives this classification; leptons and quarks are widely considered to be the most basic building blocks of matter.
While studying cosmic radiation in 1936, Carl D. Anderson, an American physicist, discovered the muon. He noticed that the particles curved at a different angle than other known subatomic particles when they passed through a magnetic field and determined that this was due to a difference in mass. The discovery of the muon shocked the scientific community because its existence was completely unexpected and unforeseen. Soon after, several other subatomic particles with different masses were discovered, and the term muon was coined to distinguish Anderson’s discovery from the rest.
Muons form only very high energy events and situations. Neither normal radioactive decay nor nuclear fusion, as occurs in nuclear reactors and nuclear bombs, is energetic enough to produce muons. Most of the muons that reach earth come from distant cosmic rays from outer space. When protons from cosmic rays collide with the nuclei of the Earth’s air particles, muons are produced.
All elementary particles have corresponding oppositely charged antiparticles. However, they have the same charge and spin. The antiparticle of a muon is the positively charged antimuon. The antimuon is sometimes simply called a positive muon, as it has a positive charge.
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