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 forc...
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