Gluon

Massless gauge boson mediating the strong force that binds quarks into protons and neutrons.

Core Principles & Analysis

• First observed directly in three-jet events at DESY's PETRA collider in 1979.
• Comes in eight color states and carries color charge, so gluons interact with each other.
• Gluon self-interaction confines quarks, which is why no free quark has ever been observed.

Specifications & Metrics

• MASS: 0 (massless)
• SPIN: 1
• SYMBOL: g
• PDG ID: G021
• PDG EDITION: PDG 2026
• CHARGE: 0 (neutral)

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