Definition
partons
noun
- Plural of parton; in particle physics, a generic term for the constituent particles (quarks and gluons) that make up hadrons such as protons and neutrons.
Usage: technical; physics
Examples
- The collision experiment revealed the distribution of partons within the proton.
- Physicists use parton distribution functions to predict high-energy scattering events.
- The structure of hadrons is understood through the behavior of their constituent partons.
- Deep inelastic scattering experiments provided evidence for partons inside nucleons.