What are gauge bosons?

Gauge bosons are force-carrying particles that mediate the fundamental forces of nature.

In particle physics, gauge bosons are particles that carry the fundamental forces of nature. There are four known fundamental forces: electromagnetism, strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, and gravity. Each of these forces is mediated by a specific type of gauge boson. For example, the photon is the gauge boson of electromagnetism, while gluons are the gauge bosons of the strong nuclear force.

Gauge bosons are responsible for transmitting the forces between particles. For example, when two electrons repel each other, they do so by exchanging photons. The photon is absorbed by one electron and then re-emitted by the other, resulting in a force between the two electrons. Similarly, the strong nuclear force is mediated by gluons, which bind quarks together to form protons and neutrons.

The existence of gauge bosons is predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics, which is a theoretical framework that describes the behavior of subatomic particles. The discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 provided further evidence for the existence of gauge bosons, as the Higgs boson is responsible for giving other particles mass, which is a key prediction of the Standard Model.

In summary, gauge bosons are force-carrying particles that mediate the fundamental forces of nature. They are responsible for transmitting forces between particles and are predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics.