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positron

positron

9 9.3
A tiny particle like an electron but with a positive electric charge
  • noun
  • /ˈpɒzɪtrɒn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : positrón
  • The most familiar practical application of positrons is in positron-emission tomography, called PET scanning.
  • electron-positron
  • positron emission tomography
  • positron emission

That's given by the rest mass of the electron and positron E equals MC squared.

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Examples

  • So you'd have perhaps an electron and a positron that both come out of this reaction.

  • But can you have positrons in any possible decay?

  • And when that happens it gives off a positron, the antimatter particle of an electron.

  • In 1936, Anderson received the Nobel Prize in Physics "for his discovery of the positron."

    Academic text (2012)
  • So a positive charge was retained by the emission of a positron, the antimatter version of an electron.

  • Their arrival positions and times recorded at a detector array surrounding the patient reveal the positron emission site.

    Academic text (2012)
  • A positron is a particle that has the same mass as an electron but carries a positive charge.

  • When a positron meets an electron, they annihilate each other, releasing energy.

  • Scientists use positrons in medical imaging techniques like positron emission tomography.

Synonyms

antielectron
vspositron
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A tiny particle like an electron but with a positive charge

is the commonly used name in modern physics

Compounds

1 6.0

A medical scan that shows how body parts use energy, often the brain

A machine that makes detailed pictures showing where the body uses energy

Surface Forms

positron singular
positrons plural

Morphology

positron = positive (transparent) = posit + on

The word denotes the positively charged counterpart of an electron and is formed by 'positive' + the particle-forming suffix '-on', so the meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

Positron comes from positive, which means 'plus' or 'positive charge', and the particle ending -on, as in electron and proton, so you can think of it as the 'positive' partner of the electron. A positron is therefore an 'electron-like' particle with a 'positive' charge, and when it meets an electron they destroy each other and release energy.