Quark matter may join solid, liquids, gases, and plasmas as a newly-understood state of matter. Far from being exotic, a new study suggests that quark matter could make up a large percentage of the mass of some neutron stars. Normal matter, out of which most stars are made, consists of atoms made up of positively-charged protons and/or neutral neutrons in their nucleus, surrounded by clouds of negatively-charged electrons. Under enormous gravitational forces, these electron clouds shatter, forming a “soup” of subatomic particles called nuclear matter. Further compression merges electrons and protons, forming additional neutrons. This process creates neutron stars, like…
This story continues at The Next Web
from The Next Web https://ift.tt/2UEqYR2
No comments:
Post a Comment