Protons, Photons, and ionic states of matter with one type

[nuiluidwde]

Is it possible to impart heat to a cloud of protons via EM radiation? Photons usually interact with electrons, and I can't find much info on pure photon-proton interaction.

Also, if you took some hydrogen ions (protons, to be specific), could you form a state of matter, such as a liquid proton soup? What about with other ions, say Na⁺, or O^2-?

I understand that normally, the charges would repel each other, but what about at extremely low or high temperatures? Could you prepare a proton superfluid in a lab, for example? What conditions would be necessary and what properties would they exhibit?

 

[mathman]

Look at the large hadron collider. I believe it will go a long way to answering your questions.