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Questions tagged [subatomic]

Subatomic particles or processes involve sizes much smaller than an ångström (0.1 nm) and energies/masses larger than keVs. Typically, nuclear and High energy physics particles, structure, and processes count as subatomic.

Subatomic particles or processes involve sizes much smaller than an ångström (0.1 nm) and energies/masses larger than keVs. Typically, nuclear and High energy physics particles, structure, and processes count as subatomic.

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What does it mean for two objects to "touch"?

If you've ever been annoyingly poked by a geek, you might be familiar with the semi-nerdy obnoxious response of "I'm not actually touching you! The electrons in the atoms of my skin are just getting really close to yours!" Expanding on this a…
Thomas Shields
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Why doesn't the nucleus have "nucleus-probability cloud"?

While deriving the wave function why don't we take into the account of the probability density of the nucleus? My intuition says that the nucleus is also composed of subatomic particles so it will also have probability cloud like electrons have. Do…
Tim Crosby
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Huge confusion with Fermions and Bosons and how they relate to total spin of atom

I am supremely confused when something has spin or when it does not. For example, atomic Hydrogen has 4 fermions, three quarks to make a proton, and 1 electron. There is an even number of fermions, and each fermion has a 1/2 spin. Since there are an…
QEntanglement
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Are protons bigger than electrons?

In every text/ physics book that I've read, Protons are mentioned as particles that are bigger, way bigger 2000 times to be precise, than electrons...I believed that until a few minutes ago when I googled "what is the radius of an electron" and then…
alienare 4422
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Can you please show me a final atomic model which demonstrates movement of electrons inside it?

Is there any final model of an atom, of which we can say, “This is it”! Or is it still improving and physicists are not completely sure about it? I am particularly interested to know how exactly electrons move inside an atom. Do the physicists have…
user248881
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Are all electrons identical?

Why should two sub-atomic (or elementary particle) - say electrons need to have identical static properties - identical mass, identical charge? Why can't they differ between each other by a very slight degree? Is there a theory which proves…
Gsv
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Intrinsic structure of electron

The electron contains finite negative charge. The same charges repel each other. What makes electron stable and why does it not burst? Is it a law of nature that the electron charge is the smallest possible charge that can exist independently? What…
K A Khan
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Why is water blue (on a quantum level)

OK, lets formulate it differently and say water works as a blue passing / red restricting filter. It is actually observable. Just do a dive in a swimming pool with white light (maybe even at night) and a pool with a metal casing or white tiles. The…
Robetto
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What is in the space between a nucleus of an atom and its electrons?

There is a common analogy about the structure of an atom, such as the nucleus is a fly in the centre of a sports stadium and the electrons are tiny tiny gnats circling the stadium (tip of the hat to 'The Greatest Show on Earth') but what is in the…
Helio Centric
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Why do atoms repel when closer but attract when farther apart?

I was wondering why atoms, when pulled apart and then released, attract together, but I notice that there is a special distance at which this attractive force doesn't seem to act but rather those atoms repel each other when pushed even closer. So my…
user226894
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Anti-Particle of Neutron

The anti-particle corresponding to a proton or an electron is a particle with an equal mass, but an opposite charge. So what is the anti-particle corresponding to a neutron (which does not possess a charge)? And if it is just another neutron, will…
Graviton
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What is the color of a group of trillions of electrons, protons, and neutrons

Since an electron is smaller than visible light, then what what color would a group of electrons (trillions of electrons) be if there were enough of them to be seen by the eye? What color would a group of trillions of protons be? Color of trillions…
Schneider
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Miniature Neutron Stars?

Is the nucleus of a carbon atom, for example, as dense as a neutron star? I read that neuton stars also contain protons. Thinking more broadly, are we surrounded by quadrillion of quadrillions of miniature neutron stars (atomic nucei) which are…
Shookster
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Why are electrons and quarks 0-dimensional?

Disregarding String Theory, which says that electrons and quarks are 1-dimensional, why are electrons and quarks 0-dimensional? The way I look at it is that they have mass, and if we were the same size as an up quark and looked at another up quark,…
ODP
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How do electrons receive energy when a body is heated?

When an object is heated, energy is absorbed by vibration, translation, and rotation of molecules. How does this heating apply to electrons?
David Solberg
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