As quoted from the article... Regarding:
“And remember that to turn a proton into a neutron you merely have to replace one of its up quarks by a down quark (Figure 3); that replacement is enough to make the neutron slightly heavier than a proton, and shift its electric charge from +e to zero.” The main function of the valence quarks is to carry fractional electric charge. Inside the nucleus, protons and neutrons do not exist.They are in superposition and are only a potential. Protons and neutrons pair up with each other because they pass their factional EMF charges back and forth between them. In the nucleus, it looks to me like the charge is passed around between nuclear particles on a regular round robin basis. If a nuclear particle does not get its charge fix in time so that its charge can be refreshed through a charge change, it is pushed out of the nucleus. In a proton rich nucleus, the pions who carry charge change will eventually fail to service the charge changing needs of all its constituent protons. The mesons have a short life and in that short time they can only do so much. A neglected proton will not get a negative charge change from the pion to turn the proton into a neutron and eventually a neglected proton pair will be pushed out of the atom. On the other hand, in a neutron rich nucleus, the pion will eventually fail to service the charge changing needs of all its constituent neutrons. The pion can only do so much. A neutron will not get a positive charge from the pions to turn the neutron into a proton and eventually a neglected neutron pair will be pushed out of the atom. If the total positive charge in the nucleus is screened to some degree, some number of protons will be expelled from the nucleus until the nucleus is smaller and has a close balance of protons and neutrons based on the charge capacity that the nucleus has remaining. Being exceptionally stable, elements that have magic numbers of protons and neutrons will resist charge screening to a greater degree than those who have a mismatch in the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. One event that is likely: under heavy charge screening, a collection of charge carrying quarks will reconfigure having been expelled from the nucleus. The spin of the pair potential will be zero, and this is the reason why a pair is expelled and not just one particle, This new proton pair will pair up and become an alpha particle with one pair adjusting their charges if required by absorbing some electrons to become a neutron pair. This neutron pair will find another proton pair and thus form an alpha particle. This is how heavy charge screening increases the probability that alpha particles will form and leave the nucleus. This is why iron will form when nickel is exposed to heavy charge screening. On Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 6:46 PM, Joseph S. Barrera III <j...@barrera.org>wrote: > Matt Strassler writes a great particle physics column. This one is about > valence quarks and sea quarks in protons and neutrons. > > > http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/particle-physics-basics/the-structure-of-matter/protons-and-neutrons/ > > -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [New post] The Bedlam Within > Protons and Neutrons Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:44:05 -0700 From: Of > Particular Significance > <comment-re...@wordpress.com><comment-re...@wordpress.com> Reply-To: > Of Particular Significance > <comment+r3ktptcfupizp5-01jlw...@comment.wordpress.com><comment+r3ktptcfupizp5-01jlw...@comment.wordpress.com> > To: > Barrera, Joseph <jbarr...@slac.stanford.edu> <jbarr...@slac.stanford.edu> > > Matt Strassler posted: "My Structure of Matter series has been on hold > for a bit, as I have been debating how to describe protons and neutrons. > These constituents of atomic nuclei, which, when combined with electrons, > form atoms, are drawn in most cartoons of atoms as simple sp" Respond > to this post by replying above this line > > New post on *Of Particular Significance* > <http://profmattstrassler.com/author/profmattstrassler/> The Bedlam > Within Protons and > Neutrons<http://profmattstrassler.com/2013/04/15/the-bedlam-within-protons-and-neutrons/> > by > Matt Strassler <http://profmattstrassler.com/author/profmattstrassler/> > > My Structure of > Matter<http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/particle-physics-basics/the-structure-of-matter/>series > has been on hold for a bit, as I have been debating how to describe protons > and > neutrons<http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/particle-physics-basics/the-structure-of-matter/protons-and-neutrons/>. > These constituents of atomic > nuclei,<http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/particle-physics-basics/the-structure-of-matter/the-nuclei-of-atoms-at-the-heart-of-matter/>which, > when combined with > electrons<http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/particle-physics-basics/the-structure-of-matter/electrons-on-the-outskirts-of-atoms/>, > form > atoms<http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/particle-physics-basics/the-structure-of-matter/atoms-building-blocks-of-molecules/>, > are drawn in most cartoons of > atoms<http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/particle-physics-basics/the-structure-of-matter/atoms-building-blocks-of-molecules/>as > simple spheres. But not only are they much, much smaller than they are > drawn in those cartoons, they hide within them a surprising commotion, one > that cannot be anticipated from the relatively simple structures of atoms > and of nuclei. > > As I've described in my new > article<http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/particle-physics-basics/the-structure-of-matter/protons-and-neutrons/>, > along the lines of this short > article<http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/largehadroncolliderfaq/whats-a-proton-anyway/> > and this more detailed > one<http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/largehadroncolliderfaq/whats-a-proton-anyway/checking-whats-inside-a-proton/> > that > I wrote some time ago in the context of the Large Hadron > Collider<http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/largehadroncolliderfaq/introduction-to-the-large-hadron-collider/>, > the > story that scientists tell the public most often, that ``a proton is made > from two up quarks and a down quark'', is not in fact the full story -- and > in some ways it is deeply misleading. The structure of protons and > neutrons is so entirely unfamiliar, and so complicated, that scientists > neither have a simple way of calculating it, nor an entirely agreed-upon > way to describe it to the public, or even to physics students. But I > believe my way of describing it will be satisfactory to most particle > physicists. > > The new > article<http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/particle-physics-basics/the-structure-of-matter/protons-and-neutrons/> > is > not entirely complete; it is perhaps only half its final length. I'll be > adding some further sections that cover some subtle issues. But since I > suspect many people won't feel the need to read those later sections, the > completed part is written to stand on its own. If you like, take a look > and let me know if you have questions, suggestions or corrections. > *Matt Strassler <http://profmattstrassler.com/author/profmattstrassler/>*| > April 15, 2013 at 8:43 AM | Tags: > gluons <http://profmattstrassler.com/?tag=gluons>, > proton<http://profmattstrassler.com/?tag=proton>, > quarks <http://profmattstrassler.com/?tag=quarks> | Categories: LHC > Background Info <http://profmattstrassler.com/?cat=59940768>, Particle > Physics <http://profmattstrassler.com/?cat=12547> | URL: > http://wp.me/p1Fmmu-1w3 > > > Comment<http://profmattstrassler.com/2013/04/15/the-bedlam-within-protons-and-neutrons/#respond> > See all > comments<http://profmattstrassler.com/2013/04/15/the-bedlam-within-protons-and-neutrons/#comments> > > Unsubscribe or change your email settings at Manage > Subscriptions<https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=d5f71ccea84abb9eb6bc9d7c619fbd13&email=jbarrera%40slac.stanford.edu>. > > > *Trouble clicking?* Copy and paste this URL into your browser: > > http://profmattstrassler.com/2013/04/15/the-bedlam-within-protons-and-neutrons/ > > Thanks for flying with WordPress.com <http://wordpress.com> > > >
