How is the nucleus held together?

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    Nucleus
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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the mechanisms that hold the atomic nucleus together, specifically exploring the roles of gluons, pions, and the strong force. Participants seek to clarify the interactions between protons and neutrons and the nature of the forces involved.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses confusion about the mediators of the binding between protons and neutrons, mentioning gluons and pions.
  • Another participant suggests that gluons are not effective in the range of the nucleus and introduces the concept of Yukawa interactions, which are mediated by pions as a form of residual strong force.
  • A third participant shares a link to a resource that may clarify the concepts discussed, indicating that further reading could lead to more specific questions.
  • One participant elaborates on the role of gluons as exchange particles for the color force between quarks and describes the strong interaction between nucleons as a residual color force, referencing Yukawa's model involving pions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present multiple perspectives on the interactions within the nucleus, with some agreeing on the role of Yukawa interactions and pions, while others emphasize the role of gluons. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the primary mediators of the nuclear force.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference different models and interpretations of the strong force, indicating potential limitations in understanding the range and nature of these interactions. There may be dependencies on specific definitions and unresolved aspects of the theoretical framework.

Guest432
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I have read about gluons and pions, but I really don't understand what mediates the binding between the proton and neutron and how it happens!

Can you also explain this?
Nuclear_Force_anim_smaller.gif
 
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gluons wouldn't make much sense in the range of the nucleus... the strong force is effectively mediated then by Yukawa interactions (mediated by a scalar particle, such as the pion). It's called residual strong force. I guess that's what the picture you sent wants to show.
 
Gluons are the exchange particles for the color force between quarks, analogous to the exchange of photons in the electromagnetic force between two charged particles. The gluon can be considered to be the fundamental exchange particle underlying the strong interaction between protons and neutrons in a nucleus. That short-range nucleon-nucleon interaction can be considered to be a residual color force extending outside the boundary of the proton or neutron. That strong interaction was modeled by Yukawa as involving an exchange of pions, and indeed the pion range calculation was helpful in developing our understanding of the strong force.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/expar.html
 

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