Quark/Gluon Plasma: When Protons Melt

• Don Lincoln ^[1]
  1. [1] Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, IL
• Localización: The Physics Teacher, ISSN 0031-921X, Vol. 62, Nº. 7, 2024, págs. 550-554
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • One of the first scientific concepts taught to children is the idea that matter can be a solid, liquid, or gas. Indeed, if you were to ask most American adults how many phases of matter there are, the most likely answer you would get is three. It would not be unreasonable to consider this to be common knowledge.

    Yet the scientifically savvy know of far more phases of matter than the familiar three. Plasma is another, as is superfluid. And there are many more that exist at extreme temperatures or pressures. Change the conditions under which matter finds itself, and it will act in unexpected ways.

    Most phases of matter involve atoms behaving oddly, but at high temperatures, even the concept of atoms becomes increasingly quaint. Heat matter enough, and you can tear electrons from atoms, resulting in a form of matter called a plasma. Taken to an extreme, it is possible to rip all of the electrons away from their atomic nuclei, resulting in a soup of electrons and nuclei. Raise the temperature further, and you can tear apart atomic nuclei, yielding a hectic stew of protons, neutrons, and electrons, although the neutrons will decay after about 15 minutes.