graviton

noun

grav·​i·​ton ˈgra-və-ˌtän How to pronounce graviton (audio)
: 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 But due to the extreme weakness of gravity, physicists expect graviton scattering to occur 39 orders of magnitude more rarely than photon scattering. Quanta Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 But gravitons with a sufficient kick velocity can escape this gravitational grip. Steve Nadis, WIRED, 25 Feb. 2024 In this theory, vibrating strings would create gravitons, tiny particles that act under quantum mechanical laws but carry gravitational force. Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2023 Perhaps individual gravitons don’t exist in the same concrete way individual photons do. Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 25 May 2023 Gravitational waves and their quantum counterparts, gravitons, simply cannot be squeezed into just two dimensions of space. Steven Carlip, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2015 But does the graviton — the hypothetical carrier of the gravitational force — exist in the same way? Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 25 May 2023 Lacking gravitational waves or gravitons, Flatland gravity should also lack the gravitational degrees of freedom that would explain black hole temperature. Steven Carlip, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2015 Supergravity includes gravitons — the gravitational equivalent of photons — and adds a supersymmetric partner, the gravitino. Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 10 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'graviton.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary gravity + -on entry 2

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of graviton was in 1942

Dictionary Entries Near graviton

Cite this Entry

“Graviton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graviton. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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