Inside the Proton

[Brian G Turner]

A wonderful little piece about how complicated protons actually are:

Inside the Proton, the ‘Most Complicated Thing’ Imaginable

The positively charged particle at the heart of the atom is an object of unspeakable complexity, one that changes its appearance depending on how it is probed. We’ve attempted to connect the proton’s many faces to form the most complete picture yet.

www.quantamagazine.org

 

[Brian G Turner]

Anyone read it? I love the little animations - I get a real feeling of profoundness looking at some of them.

 

[Robert Zwilling]

Yes I read it and watched it. I found it very informative. Lost track of how things worked except for the cloud nature when colors hit the scene. It put all the layers back into perspective. One thing it drives home for me is that everything I think I might know is just a snapshot of a moving picture in my imagination.

 

[Foxbat]

I read it too. I've also recently read a book on subatomic particles and I'd only add that the neutron is probably even more fascinating than the proton because of its ability to decay into a proton (the proton is thought to also decay but has never been backed up by any evidence). I should probably add that it is possible for a proton to become a neutron through electron capture but that's not strictly decay because the proton to neutron process gains mass in the process (the neutron have slightly greater mass than a proton).

The one thing I gained from the book that I don't think was made clear in the article is the most basic understanding of why an electron is a fundamental particle and the proton is not.

It's difficult for those of us with a passing interest in the subject to grasp but I thought the article made a good attempt.