Leptons

Leptons

1. Particles that do not interact through the strong interaction

2. They are not made up of any other particle, it is believed that they are fundamental

3. Neutrinos, electrons and muons are all leptons

4. Leptons and antileptons can interact to produce hadrons

5. Leptons can also change into other leptons

6. Reactions

   • Charge
     • The charge must always be conserved in any reaction
   • Lepton Number
     • Any lepton has a lepton number of +1
     • Any antilepton has a lepton number of -1
     • Non-leptons have a lepton number of 0
     • Total lepton number before = total lepton number after
     • The lepton rule is applied separately to electrons and muons
   • Baryon Number
     • A quantum number that must be conserved
     • The total baryon number in any particle interaction never changes

7. In muon decay, the muon changes into a muon neutrino (and only a muon neutrino)