The Quanta Podcast Inside the Proton, the 'Most Complicated Thing You Could Possibly Imagine'
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Feb 16, 2023 AI Snips
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Proton's Quantum Complexity
- The proton is far more complex than a simple charged ball or just three quarks.
- Its quantum nature means it exists as a haze of probabilities changing with different experiments.
Quarks Revealed by Scattering
- Deep inelastic scattering shattered the proton, revealing point-like quarks inside.
- Harder electron collisions allow physicists to see finer inner structures of the proton.
Quark Model Limitations
- The simple quark model with three quarks fails to fully explain proton spin and mass.
- Quark spins add up far less than half, and quark masses are only 1% of proton mass.