A new study has confirmed that increasing the number of neutrons as compared to protons in the atom’s nucleus also increases the average momentum of its protons.
The determination of the pressure distribution inside the proton is the first measurement of a mechanical property of a subatomic particle. The measurement found that the proton’s building blocks, quarks, are subjected to a pressure of 100 decillion Pascal (1035) near the center of a proton, which is about 10 times greater than the pressure in the heart of a neutron star.
The weak force is one of the four fundamental forces in our universe, along with gravity, electromagnetism and the strong force. Researchers have made the first experimental determination of the weak charge of the proton, a measure of the precise strength of the weak force’s influence on the proton.
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory. Jefferson Lab's unique and exciting mission is to expand our knowledge of the universe by studying the basic building blocks of matter within the nucleus: subatomic particles known as quarks and gluons.
In breast cancer screening, imaging based on nuclear medicine is currently being used as a successful secondary screening alongside mammography to reduce the number of false positives. Now, researchers are hoping to improve this imaging technique, known as molecular breast imaging or breast specific gamma imaging, by adding a new type of collimator - the variable angle slant hole collimator - to allow better image quality and precise location (depth information) within the breast.
The new superlattice photocathode, adapted by Jefferson Lab scientists for use in CEBAF, allows the use of readily available, fiber-based drive lasers, which require significantly less maintenance than laser types previously used in CEBAF. Introduction of these new lasers has reduced photo-injector downtime by more than 50% (from 2% total downtime to less than 1%).
