Science Alert reports that, “Physicists are about to test a hypothesis that could
rewrite the textbooks.” This momentous hypothesis is that the structure of the
proton varies. If the proton is in an atomic nucleus, its structure may be
different than if it’s a free proton.
According to the model that I’m presenting in
this blog, this hypothesis is true! To see this, we can use the standard proton
model which says that the proton is composed of three quarks. When the proton
is in an atomic nucleus with other protons and neutrons, the quarks in all of
the nucleons interpenetrate, that is, they get all mixed up so it’s impossible
to tell which quarks belong to which nucleon. That’s why it’s impossible to
separate the nucleons without applying enormous force and breaking them into a
zillion pieces. It’s said that they are held together by the strong force, one
of nature’s four forces, along with gravity, the electromagnetic force and the
weak force.
If the proposed test is well done, I predict
it will succeed.
