Gluon
The massless exchange particle that mediates the strong nuclear force between quarks and gluons. Gluons carry colour charge and can interact with other gluons as well as with quarks. Unlike photons (uncharged), gluons interact strongly with each other, leading to colour confinement.
Real World
At CERN's Large Hadron Collider, scientists study gluon jets — sprays of particles produced when high-energy gluons are knocked out of protons during collisions, confirming QCD predictions about colour confinement.
Exam Focus
State that gluons carry colour charge — this distinguishes them from photons and is a common mark-scheme requirement.
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