Gauge bosons are fundamental particles that mediate the fundamental forces of nature. They are responsible for transmitting the interactions between other particles. The four known gauge bosons are the photon, which mediates the electromagnetic force; the W and Z bosons, which are responsible for the weak nuclear force; and the gluon, which mediates the strong nuclear force. These particles are essential to the framework of quantum field theory, which describes how particles interact at the smallest scales. Gauge bosons are unique because they are force carriers, meaning they enable the forces to act between particles without being affected by those forces themselves.