hyperon

Etymology

noun

1. (physics) Any baryon (a three-quark particle) with a non-zero strangeness (i.e., whose composition includes one or more strange or anti-strange quarks).
   The known hyperons and their properties are listed in Table I of the companion lectures on Strange Particles. Most of these hyperons have lifetimes of the order of 10⁻¹⁰ sec, with the exception of the Σ⁰-hyperon whose electromagnetic decay has an exceedingly short lifetime. 1965, Richard Henry Dalitz, Nuclear Interactions of the Hyperons, page 1
   What is particularly noticeable is the steep rise in hyperon populations as the limiting mass is approached. 2000, Norman K. Glendenning, Compact Stars: Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics, and General Relativity, page 264
   The properties of the Λ⁰ hyperon and of the Κ⁰ were more precisely determined. The charged counterparts of the neutral Κ particle were also found as well as the charged Σ hyperons and their neutral counterpart. 2001, M.K. Sundaresan, Handbook of Particle Physics, page 21