Why are quarks impossible to isolate?
Paul from Gloucestershire (Age 25-34)
Filed under: Answered Big Questions, Eram Rizvi's Big Answers, Physics Big Questions, age 25-34
Why are quarks impossible to isolate?
Posted on March 4, 2008 by Administrator
Hello Paul,
Quarks are the fundamental particles that make up the protons and neutrons of an atomic nucleus. Each has three quarks, but we cannot ever see a single quark on its own.
The reason for this is because of the way that the Strong Nuclear force works. This is one of the four forces of nature and is responsible for keeping protons and neutrons together and also explains why positively charged protons in the nucleus of an atom do not repel each other (the Strong force overcomes their electromagnetic repulsion).
If you consider the forces of gravity or electromagnetism, then two objects would feel a weaker force between them as you move them further apart. But the Strong force acts differently. Two strongly interacting particles, like two quarks, feel a force that increases as you try to pull them apart.
Imagine two balls (the quarks) joined by a loose wobbly spring (the strong force). When the quarks are close-by the spring is loose and the quarks don’t really feel each other. But as you pull them apart the spring becomes taught, and then starts to resist your pulling.
Eventually, as you keep pulling there is enough energy stored in the spring to spontaneously create a quark/anti-quark pair that splits the spring in two. So now you have two pairs of balls joined by a loose spring!