W and Z particles  W and Z particles, elementary particles that
mediate, or carry, the fundamental force associated with weak
interactions. The discovery of the W and Z particles at CERN
near Geneva, Switzerland, in the early 1980s was an important
confirmation of electroweak theory, which unifies the
electromagnetic and weak forces. The W and Z particles are quite
massive for elementary particles; they are roughly 100 times as
massive as the proton.   More on W and Z particles from Fact
Monster:  See more Encyclopedia articles on: Physics