Protons Contain 10 Times More Pressure Than a Neutron Star, According to First-Ever Measurement

[Judi Lynn]

But they're so tiny!

MIKE MCRAE 18 MAY 2018

In what was once thought to be an impossible task, for the first time physicists have put a figure on the pressure inside a proton - and it's more impressive than we could have imagined.

By shooting protons with high-energy electrons, researchers have measured the push and pull of the proton's trio of quarks, providing valuable insights into one of the Universe's most stable building blocks.

Physicist Latifa Elouadrhiri from the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility compares our previous understanding of the proton's structure to that of a human heart. Listening to its beat can only tell you so much about how it works.

"We have the medical 3D imaging technology that now allows the doctors to learn more in a non-invasive manner the structure of the heart," Elouadrhiri told Nature reporter Lizzie Gibney.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/gravitational-theory-used-to-measure-pressure-inside-proton-first-time