sqljunkey
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Would a proton decay into smaller particles if you accelerate it into higher speeds without colliding it into another proton?
Can Protons Decay at High Speeds without Colliding?
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No.
How could it? The laws of physics are the same in every inertial frame. There is nothing special about our laboratory frame. In its rest frame it is simply a proton just as before.
There could be proton decay, of course, but I guess that's not what your question is about - if it exists it applies to all protons.
How could it? The laws of physics are the same in every inertial frame. There is nothing special about our laboratory frame. In its rest frame it is simply a proton just as before.
There could be proton decay, of course, but I guess that's not what your question is about - if it exists it applies to all protons.
sqljunkey
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I see. Just to make sure I understand fully, the simple process of accelerating a proton has no decaying effects on it?
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Right.
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In our lab frame, and assuming protons decay at all: Sure. Not that it matters, their lifetime is so long that we won't see a decay in accelerators anyway.