Multiplet

This article is about multiplets in physics. For multiplet siblings, see Multiple birth.

In physics, multiplet can mean:

A group of related spectral lines
A group of related subatomic particles

The best known example is a spin multiplet, which is a group representation of an SU(2) subgroup of the Lorentz algebra. For example, a spin singlet is a trivial representation, a spin doublet is a fundamental representation and a spin triplet is a vector representation.

In other cases, the term multiplet usually refers to the fundamental representation of a gauge algebra. For example, in QCD, quarks are in a multiplet of SU(3).

See also

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