In a remarkable scientific achievement, researchers from the Institute of Nuclear Physics at the Polish Academy of Sciences, along with international collaborators, have successfully integrated the concepts of quarks and gluons with protons and neutrons to create a unified model of atomic nuclei. This groundbreaking work not only marks a significant milestone for science but also advances global understanding of nuclear physics.
The dual nature of atomic nuclei
For nearly a century, atomic nuclei have been understood through two distinct models. At low energies, nuclei are described as collections of protons and neutrons. However, high-energy experiments reveal that these protons and neutrons are composed of quarks held together by gluons. Despite decades of research, no one had managed to reconcile these two perspectives into a coherent framework—until now.
Bridging the gap
The breakthrough came from the nCTEQ collaboration, which includes researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, University of Munster in Germany, and Institute of Nuclear Physics at the Polish Academy of Sciences, represented by Dr Aleksander Kusina and his team (published on 11th October 2024 in Physical Review Letters). By utilising data from high-energy collisions at the Large Hadron Collider and extending traditional parton distribution functions (PDFs), the researchers were able to analyse 18 different atomic nuclei. Their findings confirmed that proton-neutron pairs are the most common among correlated nucleons, aligning with observations from low-energy experiments.
Innovative use of experimental data
The researchers focused on parton distribution functions, which describe how quarks and gluons are distributed within protons and neutrons. By incorporating insights from low-energy nuclear models, they successfully simulated the pairing of nucleons at the parton level. This novel approach allowed them to determine parton distributions in atomic nuclei and correlated nucleon pairs, providing a better description of experimental data than traditional methods. “In our model, we made improvements to simulate the phenomenon of pairing of certain nucleons. This is because we recognised that this effect could also be relevant at the patron level,” says Dr. Kusina.
Implications for future research
This unified model enhances predictive capabilities in particle physics experiments, allowing scientists to better interpret complex collision outcomes. Additionally, this knowledge could lead to advancements in nuclear energy technologies and medical imaging techniques. “This allowed for a conceptual simplification of the theoretical description, which should in future enable us to study parton distributions for individual atomic nuclei more precisely,” adds Dr Kusina.
A proud moment for Polish science
The contributions of Polish scientists in this research highlight their crucial role in advancing global scientific knowledge. The successful integration of quark-gluon dynamics with nucleon interactions showcases the expertise of researchers from Poland, enhancing the country’s standing in nuclear physics. This landmark discovery not only marks a significant milestone for Polish science but also opens new avenues for exploration, promising developments that could enhance our understanding of the universe and lead to technological advancements for humanity.
For the first time, quarks and gluons were used to describe properties of atomic nuclei, which until now had been explained by the existence of protons and neutrons. The temporary pair of correlated nucleons is highlighted in purple. (Source: IFJ PAN)
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