muon
noun
mu·on
| \ ˈmyü-ˌän
\
\
Definition of muon
: an unstable lepton that is common in the cosmic radiation near the earth's surface, has a mass about 207 times the mass of the electron, and exists in negative and positive forms
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Other Words from muon
muonic
\ myü-ˈä-nik
\
adjective
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adjective
Examples of muon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The fundamental particles that have so far been identified have been given esoteric names like quarks, leptons, muons, and taus. — Dylan Loeb Mcclain, BostonGlobe.com, "Ann Nelson, expert on particle physics, 61," 29 Aug. 2019 There are three kinds—the electron neutrino, the muon neutrino, and the tau neutrino. — Nandita Jayaraj, Quartz India, "Meet Indumathi, the Indian scientist who wants to capture one of the universe’s smallest particles," 27 Aug. 2019 Researchers shot protons into a target to generate a beam of pure muon neutrinos. — Adrian Cho, Science | AAAS, "Resurrected detector will hunt for some of the strangest particles in the universe," 8 Aug. 2019 The study's authors also emphasize that more muon detectors will need to be installed, in particular on the western slope of the fortress, in order to obtain a full-size underground picture. — Fox News, "Scientists may have found one of the oldest Christian churches in the world," 12 July 2019 The muons can be detected in underground water chambers and used to distinguish between gamma ray and cosmic ray events. — Dennis Normile, Science | AAAS, "Highest energy light ever seen traced to Crab Nebula," 8 July 2019 The MiniBooNE experiment shoots a beam of muon neutrinos toward a giant oil tank. — Quanta Magazine, "Evidence Found for a New Fundamental Particle," 1 June 2018 Megalodon, once the largest creature on earth, would have been a muon magnet. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "Exploding Stars Might Have Brought an End to the Prehistoric Megalodon," 14 Dec. 2018 Harmless in small amounts, muons are 200 times heavier than electrons and can penetrate hundreds of feet of solid rock without interacting. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "Exploding Stars Might Have Brought an End to the Prehistoric Megalodon," 14 Dec. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'muon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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