Weak interactions are mediated by W and Z bosons from "summary" of The Quantum Theory of Fields by Steven Weinberg,Weinberg S
Weak interactions are mediated by W and Z bosons. These particles are responsible for the weak nuclear force, one of the four fundamental forces of nature. The weak force is involved in processes such as beta decay, where a neutron decays into a proton, electron, and antineutrino. This interaction is crucial for the stability of matter and the energy production in stars. The W and Z bosons are massive particles, unlike the massless photon that mediates the electromagnetic force. This massiveness is a consequence of the Higgs mechanism, which gives the W and Z bosons their mass. The discovery of the W and Z bosons in the 1980s confirmed the existence of the weak force and provided further evidence for the Standard Model of particle physics. The weak force is weak compared to the electromagnetic and strong forces, hence the name. This weakness is reflected in the short range of the weak force, which is limited to distances on the scale of atomic nuclei. The W and Z bosons are responsible for mediating this short-range force, acting as messengers between particles involved in weak interactions. The W bosons come in two types, W+ and W-, carrying positive and negative electric charge, respectively. They are involved in processes that change one type of quark into another, leading to the transformation of one type of particle into another. The Z boson, on the other hand, is electrically neutral and mediates interactions that do not involve a change in electric charge, such as elastic scattering of neutrinos.- The W and Z bosons play a crucial role in weak interactions, allowing for the exchange of energy and momentum between particles involved in processes such as beta decay and neutrino scattering. These particles, along with the weak force they mediate, are essential for our understanding of the fundamental forces of nature and the behavior of matter at the subatomic level.
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