graviton

noun

grav·i·ton ˈgra-və-ˌtän

: a hypothetical particle with zero charge and rest mass that is held to be the quantum of the gravitational field

Examples of graviton in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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The simplest explanation of a positive result would be the existence of gravitons. —

Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 30 Oct. 2024 From the space-time perspective, these curves capture events beyond the purview of trace phi cubed theory: colorless particles that the researchers believe could eventually describe gravitons. —

Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2024 Could these massive gravitons themselves be an example of dark matter? —

Janna Levin, Quanta Magazine, 29 Aug. 2024 The emptiness of the vacuum in quantum theory belies a sea of particles—photons, electrons, gravitons, and more—that conspire to make empty space feel empty. —

Ahmed Almheiri, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2022 See all Example Sentences for graviton

Word History

Etymology

gravit(y) + -on entry 2, after Russian gravitón

Note: The term was introduced by the Russian physicists Dmitrij Ivanovič Bloxincev (1908-79) and Fëdor Matveevič Gal'perin (1903-85) in "Gipoteza nejtrino i zakon soxranenija ènergii," Pod znamenem marksizma, vol. 6 (1934), pp. 147-57.

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of graviton was in 1942

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