positron
nounUK /ˈpɒz.ɪ.tɹɒn/ · US /ˈpɑ.zɪ.tɹɑn/
Etymology From positive + -tron (electron). Coined by American physicist Carl Anderson in 1932 to replace the earlier term antielectron.
1
Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics Particle The antimatter equivalent of an electron, having the same mass but a positive charge.
- The notion of a positron weapon remains the stuff of science fiction.
- If these particles carry unit positive charge the curvatures and ionizations produced require the mass to be less than twenty times the electron mass. These particles will be called positrons.[1933 March 15, Carl D. Anderson, “The Positive Electron”, in Physical Review, volume 43:
- Synonyms
- antielectron
- Derived terms
- positrino, positron emission tomography, positronic, positronium, spositron
- Hypernyms
- antilepton