lambda hyperon

Variant of lambda

noun

  1. the eleventh letter of the Greek alphabet (Λ, λ)
  2. Particle Physics an uncharged hyperon with a mass of c. 1,115.68 MeV/c, which is c. 2,183 times the mass of an electron: it decays very rapidly, usually into a nucleon and a pion
    sometimes called lambda particle or lambda hyperon

Origin: Gr < Sem, as in Heb lāmedh, lamed

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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