elementary particle

Scientists can use them to test whether certain hypothesized light-weight elementary particles exist and how massive they are.

The Nobel committee praised "their penetrating investigation... which has led to important discoveries regarding the elementary particles".

Researchers believe it is composed of a still-undetected type of elementary particle.

Finally elementary particles are protons, electrons, neutrons and all other particles that are smaller than an atom.

Quarks and gluons are the fundamental building blocks of protons and neutrons -- elementary particles that combined to forge the basic elements of the periodic table.