Quasiparticle

The term Quasiparticle describes a concept in physics in which energetically excited states in matter are treated as though they are elementary quantum particles in their own right. In fact they may be something less tangible like a vibration or a rotation.

Unlike neutrons, protons, or even atoms and molecules, quasiparticles aren't independent structures floating about on their own in free space but exist only within the structure being studied. 

For the purposes of modelling the behaviour of the excited state within the structure; this treatment works very well.  

As the particles emerge from more fundamental structures they are called quasi-particles or quasiparticles.

These particles have in most cases short lifetimes, like the magnon or the exciton. But there are also some quasi-particles with an infinite lifetime like the cooper-pair in superconductors. 

 List of known quasiparticles 
+QuasiparticlesQuasiparticleSignificationUnderlying particlesAnyonA type of quasiparticle that occurs only in two-dimensional systems, with properties much less restricted than fermions and bosons.BionA bound state of solitons, named for Born-Infeld modelsolitonBipolaronA bound pair of two polaronspolaron (electron, phonon)BogoliubonBroken Cooper pairelectron, holeConfiguronAn elementary configurational excitation in an amorphous material which involves breaking of a chemical bondCooper pairA pair of free electrons within a solid that act together as one quasiparticle and gives rise to superconductivity.electronDislonAssociated with a dislocation in lattice structure  in crystalline solids. It emerges from the quantization of the lattice displacement field of a classical dislocationDropletonThe first known quasiparticle that behaves like a liquidElectron quasiparticleAn electron as affected by the other forces and interactions in the solidelectronElectron hole (hole)A lack of electron in a valence bandelectron, cationExcitonA bound state of an electron and a holeelectron, holeFractonA collective quantized vibration on a substrate with a fractal structure.Fracton (subdimensional particle)An emergent quasiparticle excitation that is immobile when in isolation.Holon (chargon)A quasi-particle resulting from electron spin-charge separationLevitonA collective excitation of a single electron within a metalMagnonA coherent excitation of electron spins in a materialMajorana fermionA quasiparticle equal to its own antiparticle, emerging as a midgap state in certain superconductorsNematiconA soliton in nematic liquid crystal mediaOrbitonA quasiparticle resulting from electron spin-orbital separationOscillonA soliton-like single wave in vibrating mediaPhasonVibrational modes in a quasicrystal associated with atomic rearrangementsPhonitonA theoretical quasiparticle which is a hybridization of a localized, long-living phonon and a matter excitationPhononVibrational modes in a crystal lattice associated with atomic shiftsPlasmaronA quasiparticle emerging from the coupling between a plasmon and a holePlasmonA coherent excitation of a plasmaPolaronA moving charged quasiparticle that is surrounded by ions in a materialelectron, phononPolaritonA mixture of photon with other quasiparticlesphoton, optical phononRotonElementary excitation in superfluid helium-4SolitonA self-reinforcing solitary excitation waveSpinonA quasiparticle produced as a result of electron spin-charge separation that can form both quantum spin liquid and strongly correlated quantum spin liquidTrionA coherent excitation of three quasiparticles (two holes and one electron or two electrons and one hole)WrinklonA localized excitation corresponding to wrinkles in a constrained two dimensional system

 References 

Category:Basic physics ideas
Category:Quantum mechanics
Category:Subatomic particles