Theoretical quark fusion found to be more powerful than hydrogen fusion

Re:Theoretical quark fusion found to be more powerful than h... by fallingfrog on Monday November 06, 2017 @01:58PM (#15637883)

Here's my question: We know that in the case of hydrogen fusion, the individual protons and neutrons involved change the way they are bound (two separate hydrogen atoms into a single helium), but they don't change into something else. But this is altogether different- we have individual quarks which are combining together to form a new kind of particle. Does that imply that quarks themselves are made of smaller particles?

I suppose there are other examples of this kind of fusion too- electron capture by a proton producing a neutron, for example.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Theoretical quark fusion found to be more powerful than h... by bbojan on Monday November 06, 2017 @02:46PM (#15638418)

This is a great question! From my understanding, Quantum Field Theory posits that what we think of as particles are actually excitations of the underlying fields.

So when a neutron decays into a proton and an electron, it doesn't mean that the neutron consists of a proton and an electron; merely that the "neutron field" has a coupling with a "proton field" and an "electron field".

So particles can indeed turn into other particles, as long as certain conservation laws are obeyed.

[Edit: typo]

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Theoretical quark fusion found to be more powerful than h... by xelxebar on Monday November 06, 2017 @08:57PM (#15640516)

Wait, can you approximate protons and neurons as excitations in proton and neutron fields instead of as specific valences of a quark-gluon plasma?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Theoretical quark fusion found to be more powerful than h... by bbojan on Tuesday November 07, 2017 @09:52PM (#15649603)

I have no idea. That's why I put it in quotes :-)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Theoretical quark fusion found to be more powerful than h... by noobermin on Monday November 06, 2017 @03:08PM (#15638609)

Not really. The standard model has them as fundamental particles, I think you might be reading too much into the analogy.

Also, they aren't individual quarks "combining" into something else, it is an interaction between baryons which are groups of quarks and the "output" has an exchange of quarks between the baryons. Quarks can't be "free" at most energy scales due to color confinement.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Theoretical quark fusion found to be more powerful than h... by fallingfrog on Monday November 06, 2017 @03:30PM (#15638744)

Oh ok, got it. That makes sense. I think it was the phrasing in the paper such as "..fusing quarks can release much more energy than anyone thought.." "..energy is involved when quarks fuse together.." and so on that got me. I didn't catch that it's baryons being fused not quarks.

[ Parent | on HN ]