Atomic nucleus: quarks and gluons shown for first time in new study

We learn from school desks The atomic nucleus is divided into building blocks called protons and neutrons. These fundamental particles are formed by the combination of smaller “balls” called quarks and particles that work like “glue” called gluons.

Although this explanation has worked since the 1960s, until now we have not been able to fully explain the properties of the atomic nucleus using only these small particles. It’s like we couldn’t explain a Lego sculpture with its little bricks.

Finally, in a recent study published in the journal Physical Review Letters, an international team of physicists managed to break this paradox. They combined two different ways of understanding atomsOne “is based on protons and neutrons, which we can see at low energies, and the other is based on quarks and gluons for high energies,” explains co-author Aleksander Kusina from the Polish Institute of Nuclear Physics (FJ PAN). , in a statement.

Combining two views of the atomic nucleus

to see” atomic nucleus, physicists bombard this central part of the atom with smaller particles and record the results of the collisions in detail. They typically use electrons, not only because they are easier to accelerate and manipulate, but also because their negative electrical charge allows a stronger interaction with nuclei.

Experiments so far have shown that nuclei appear in the form of nucleons (protons and neutrons) when electrons have lower energies, but at higher electronic energies it is partons (quarks and gluons) that become visible. However, it has not yet been possible to combine the two explanations into a single picture.

Using data from the LHC particle accelerator at CERN in Geneva, IFJ PAN physicists studied how quarks and gluons organize themselves at high energies within atomic nuclei. To do this, they used the parton distribution function tool (PDF), which maps how these particles behave and distribute themselves within protons, neutrons, and the nucleus as a whole.

What is the practical result of the new experiment?

The new approach, which can predict the chances of a particular particle being formed when an electron or proton collides with the nucleus, allows researchers to examine “the distribution functions of partons in atomic nuclei, the distributions of partons in pairs of associated nuclei, and even the The number of these associated pairs for the 18 atomic nuclei examined” he states.

According to Kusina, they realized that by changing the model that simulates the coupling of specific nuclei, the effect could also work at the parton level.

Surprisingly, this made it possible to simplify the theoretical explanation. In other words, it opens up the possibility to fully study parton distributions for individual atomic nuclei in the future.

Always stay informed about the latest discoveries in physics at TecMundo. If you wish, take the opportunity to understand how faster-than-light photons challenge the order of time. Until later!