Yukawa potential, a potential of the form Cexp(-μr)/r, where r is the distance between the particles and C and μ are constants; it describes the interaction of two particles that arises because they exchange an intermediate (virtual) particle with a non-zero rest mass. The range of the Yukawa potential r0 is set by the mass m of the intermediate particle: r0=1/μ= ћ/mc. The Yukawa potential was introduced by the Japanese physicist H. Yukawa in 1935, who supposed that the short-range character of nuclear forces is due to the exchange between nucleons of a hypothetical particle with a mass of 200—300 electron masses. On this basis he predicted the existence of the pi-meson.