Back to Search Start Over

Evolving images of the proton: hadron physics over the past 40 years.

Authors :
Michael R Pennington
Source :
Journal of Physics G: Nuclear & Particle Physics. May2016, Vol. 43 Issue 5, p1-1. 1p.
Publication Year :
2016

Abstract

Once upon a time, the world was simple: the proton contained three quarks, two ups and a down. How these give the proton its mass and its spin seemed obvious. Over the past 40 years the proton has become more complicated, and how even these most obvious of its properties is explained in a universe of quarks, antiquarks and gluons remains a challenge. That this should be so should come as no surprise. Quantum chromodynamics, the theory of the strong interaction, is seemingly simple, and its consequences are straightforward in the domain of hard scattering where perturbation theory applies. However, the beauty of the hadron world is its diversity. The existence of hadrons, their properties, and their binding into nuclei do not appear in the Lagrangian of QCD. They all emerge as a result of its strong coupling. Strong coupling QCD creates complex phenomena, much richer than known 40 years ago: a richness that ensures colour confinement and accounts for more than 95% of the mass of the visible Universe. How strong coupling QCD really works requires a synergy between experiment and theory. A very personal view of these fascinating developments in cold QCD is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
09543899
Volume :
43
Issue :
5
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Journal of Physics G: Nuclear & Particle Physics
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
114667661
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1088/0954-3899/43/5/054001