Proton size smaller than previously thought...

[Giorgio]

http://www.physorg.com/news197727820.html

A good example of how little we really know about the universe versus how much we think to know.

[Nik]

I'm no physicist, but I must wonder if the pion is 'feeling' the charge separation in the proton's quarks...

FWIW, being 4% off in something so singular leads you to wonder what other surprises are lurking in the next decimal place of other atomic factors.

[icarus]

Or that we could now have some Poly-apostles claiming that the next generation of pB11 reactors can be 4% smaller (and faster and cheaper too!).


... but you have to wait until the end of days before any verifiable data becomes available.

[D Tibbets]

Or that we could now have some Poly-apostles claiming that the next generation of pB11 reactors can be 4% smaller (and faster and cheaper too!)...

Actually, I would suspect everything else being equal, the Polywell would have to be bigger. But I believe it is moot. The crossections are based mostly on experiments, not theory. And, I'm guessing that the range at which the strong force becomes dominate over coulomb repulsion need not change. Although, if the proton is a little smaller, would that change the calculation for the strong force (and weak force) strength fall off (inverse cube law or what ever it is)? The end results (real world interactions) would not change, but the mathmatics describing them may need to be nudged.

[EDIT] I suspect much of the anxiety might be directed inwards. If the proton has ~ 12% less volume, the quarks, gluons, etc have to be packed into this smaller space. This might add up to significant changes in the values for various intra proton structures and forces.

Dan Tibbets

[WizWom]

I suspect what they are seeing is contraction of the proton waveform by the heightened forces from the muon over the much further away electrons.

[MSimon]

I suspect what they are seeing is contraction of the proton waveform by the heightened forces from the muon over the much further away electrons.

That seems likely. But I would also be surprised if that wasn't considered.

[krenshala]

You know, I can't help but mention how the article's discussion of the difference between "normal" hydrogen and muon-hydrogen reminds me of the "hydrino" stuff from Black Light Power ...

I'm not attempting to cast aspersions, just commenting on a perceived similarity.