Exotic atom to weak, electromagnetic and gravitational forces, muonic atoms are governed to very high precision by the electromagnetic interaction. Since a muon is more massive than an electron, the Bohr orbits are closer to the nucleus in a muonic atom than in an ordinary atom, and corrections due to quantum electrodynamics are more important. Study of muonic atoms' energy levels as well as transition rates from excited states to the ground state therefore provide experimental tests of quantum electrodynamics. Muon-catalyzed fusion is a technical application of muonic atoms. A "hadronic atom" is an atom in which one or more of the
Atom a result, no antimatter atoms have been discovered in nature. However, in 1996 the antimatter counterpart of the hydrogen atom (antihydrogen) was synthesized at the CERN laboratory in Geneva. Other exotic atoms have been created by replacing one of the protons, neutrons or electrons with other particles that have the same charge. For example, an electron can be replaced by a more massive muon, forming a muonic atom. These types of atoms can be used to test the fundamental predictions of physics. Atom An atom is the smallest constituent unit of ordinary matter that has the properties of a chemical