RE: Quarks
January 28, 2014 at 12:37 am
(This post was last modified: January 28, 2014 at 12:48 am by Alex K.)
In our currently best model of particles, fields and their interactions called thw Standard Model, Quarks, like Electrons, are treated as point particles without substructure (they do have quantum uncertainty though). They are just represented as quanta of energy with certain properties but no size (contrast this with protons and neutrons). This may change with further observations, but so far there is no Indication of substructure or measurable size.
The so-called "strong interaction" fundamemtal force of chromodynamics which quarks, unlike Electrons, are subject to, becomes weaker at short distance scales and stronger at long ones because virtual particles contribute to the force in a positive way, and more distance means more virtual particles in between (somewhat simplistic explanation of a rigorous quantum field calculation called renormalization group running). The insight that this effect has positive sign gained Wilczek, Politzer and Gross the Nobel a few years ago. The consequence is that at large distance separation, the quarks and gluons bind so strongly that they form a kind of energy string like a band of glue between separated quarks. If you force them apart more, this string tears and produces two new quarks, giving you two shorter strings and more particles. This is how the showers of dozens or hundreds of particles at the LHC are created.
The so-called "strong interaction" fundamemtal force of chromodynamics which quarks, unlike Electrons, are subject to, becomes weaker at short distance scales and stronger at long ones because virtual particles contribute to the force in a positive way, and more distance means more virtual particles in between (somewhat simplistic explanation of a rigorous quantum field calculation called renormalization group running). The insight that this effect has positive sign gained Wilczek, Politzer and Gross the Nobel a few years ago. The consequence is that at large distance separation, the quarks and gluons bind so strongly that they form a kind of energy string like a band of glue between separated quarks. If you force them apart more, this string tears and produces two new quarks, giving you two shorter strings and more particles. This is how the showers of dozens or hundreds of particles at the LHC are created.
