PlanetPhysics/Weak Interaction

The weak interaction (or `weak force') is one of the four known fundamental [[../Bijective/|types]] of interactions in physics. It is only stronger than the gravitational force, but the range over which weak interaction occurs is very short (\(10^{-18}\)m), thus making its effects even harder to [[../CoIntersections/|detect]] accurately. The weak interactions affect markedly all of the left--handed [[../Lepton/|leptons]] and the very heavy [[../ExtendedQuantumSymmetries/|quarks]], such as the top and [[../QuarkAntiquarkPair/|bottom quarks]]. Main (electroweak) [[../BoseEinsteinStatistics/|field carriers]] of the weak interaction are the $W$ and $Z$ [[../BoseEinsteinStatistics/|bosons]]. The weak interaction is the only interaction that violates [[../ExamplesOfConstantsOfTheMotion/|parity]] and changes flavours, thus allowing for the heavier (less stable) quarks decay. The electroweak interaction is also responsible for the beta decay process, and thus is part of many naturally occuring [[../Cyclotron/|radiation]] processes. An unified quantum treatment of the electroweak interaction and elctromagnetic [[../CosmologicalConstant/|field]] theory ([[../HotFusion/|QED]]), with the former involving the symmetry of the `special unitary' [[../BilinearMap/|Lie group]] SU(2), was first reported by Physics Nobel Laureate Stephen Weinberg (for a recent textbook by the latter please see ref. ). The $SU(2)$ symmetry is currently part of the Standard Model ([[../SUSY2/|SUSY]]) of physics.