n. Any of the three least massive mesons, having a positive, neutral, or negative electric charge. The charged pions have a mass 273 times that of an electron and a mean lifetime of 2.6 × 10-8 second, and the neutral pion has a mass 264 times that of an electron and a mean lifetime of 8.4 × 10-17 second. Also called pi meson. [Contraction of PI MESON.] |
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