noun
tau particle; tauon; tau lepton
Physics term for the heavy lepton with a mass about 3,500 times that of the electron. Used in particle physics contexts.
タウ粒子は電子やミュー粒子と同じレプトンに分類される。
The tau particle is classified as a lepton, like the electron and muon.
加速器実験でタウ粒子の
We observed the decay of tau particles in the accelerator experiment.
The electron, a much lighter lepton.
The muon, another heavy lepton, lighter than the tau.
From English 'tau' (from the Greek letter τ) + 粒子 (particle). The tau lepton was discovered in 1975 and named after the Greek word 'τρίτον' (triton, meaning third) because it was the third charged lepton discovered.