Strangelets suspended in ambient gas?

[jerich1000]

I'm aware that searches for strangelets have been going on for many years both on the surface of the Earth, high in Earth's atmosphere, within lunar soil samples, and soon in orbit by satellites put into space.

Aren't theoretical strangelets and strange matter very dense and very heavy? (strange matter density is on the order of 10^17 kg/m^3)

Why would they be found high in the atmosphere? Is it possible for strangelets to be suspended in a gas like regular dust?

Thanks

 

[bcrowell]

The density of a strangelet is the same as the density of a nucleus. Just because nuclei are extremely dense, that doesn't mean that oxygen and nitrogen nuclei can't be found high in the atmosphere. However, I've never heard of searching for strangelets suspended in the Earth's atmosphere. Are you sure you're not misinterpreting what you've read? Please point us to your sources of information.

Here is a paper that may be relevant: http://arxiv.org/abs/nucl-th/0610127

 

[jerich1000]

Here is a link to a study discussing the possibility of finding strangelets in Earth's atmosphere:

http://iopscience.iop.org/1126-6708/2007/02/077/pdf/jhep022007077.pdf

It appears they're anticipating strangelet equivalents of gases such as nitrogen, argon, etc., rather than larger strangelets of charge analogous to nickel, lead, etc. In other words, smaller strangelets.

Is it possible to suspend larger strangelets in a gas, similar to how dust can be suspended in gas?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Is it possible to suspend larger strangelets in a gas, similar to how dust can be suspended in gas?

Reread the message right above yours for the answer.