Gluon (source code)
= Gluon
{wiki}
A gluon is a spin-one quantum of the <quantum chromodynamics> gauge field. There are eight color-adjoint gluon components, and the gauge description has zero gluon mass. Unlike the neutral photon of an Abelian theory, gluons themselves carry the charge associated with their interaction, producing three- and four-gluon vertices.
A gluon is not observed as an isolated color-charged final particle because of <confinement>. An energetic gluon can instead initiate a <jet> after radiation and <hadronization>. Gluons also contribute to a proton's momentum distribution and energy even though its net valence flavor content is described as $uud$. Color labels are internal gauge labels, not ordinary visible colors or eight independently identifiable classical substances.
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