Existence of Micro Atoms

[thecoroner]

I'll admit right from the start that I don't hold a job as a scientist. In fact, I'm in high school.

I was thinking about atoms today and how they are the smallest form of matter we know about. Well, who says it is the smallest form of matter? Do we have the technology to know for sure?

My theory is that there are in fact smaller atoms within atoms. You could call them micro-atoms. I think that each micro-atom is similar in structure to the previous one- like a fractal and that these micro-atoms go on infinately (just like a fractal).

What do you think of my idea? I no there isn't anything to back it up or any sense to it. For all I know I could be wrong. But I still think it's an interesting idea to at least think about, even if it turns out to be wrong.

 

[Braznor]

Atoms are not the fundamental blocks of matter. Atoms consist of protons, neutrons and electrons. The protons and neutrons are made of quarks (which are just one type of fundamental particles like electrons which belong to a separate family of particles called Leptrons)

Quarks are supposedly the smallest unit of matter so far inferenced from theoritical and practical experiments. They cannot exist in normal free state and bonded to themselves in various 'color' flavors. The beauty about Quarks is that the force which binds them grows stronger the further apart they are!!!!!

So no matter how much the distance between two Quarks, they are still bonded to each other, It does not matter whether the distance is merely a few nanometers or a million lightyears

 

[thecoroner]

Thanks for that useful information. I did not know that!

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: Braznor
Atoms are not the fundamental blocks of matter. Atoms consist of protons, neutrons and electrons. The protons and neutrons are made of quarks (which are just one type of fundamental particles like electrons which belong to a separate family of particles called Leptrons)

Quarks are supposedly the smallest unit of matter so far inferenced from theoritical and practical experiments. They cannot exist in normal free state and bonded to themselves in various 'color' flavors. The beauty about Quarks is that the force which binds them grows stronger the further apart they are!!!!!

So no matter how much the distance between two Quarks, they are still bonded to each other, It does not matter whether the distance is merely a few nanometers or a million lightyears

Close. You had it right up until the last statement. If you separate two quarks the force grows as you separate them. Basically, you are putting energy into the gluon field bonding the two quarks. Once you have enough energy in this field the gluons will "snap" and two new quarks will be made out of the energy in the gluon field. Sorta like this:

q - quark
= - gluon field

So we start with a meson like this:
q=q

and we put energy in, as we pull apart the quarks

q===q

Eventually, the gluon field has enough energy to produce 2 new quarks via E=mc^2

q==qq==q

and the gluons snap back, leaving a new particle (another meson)

q=q q=q

 

[l Xes l]

u should look into String Theory
try to download "Elegant Universe" by NOVA

 

[Braznor]

Thanks,

I'am now all the more fascinated

Sorry for error, I errored because I have not studied science for a long time. I'am a commerce graduate, But I kick myself everyday for not taking up science as my college major.

 

[TheSource]

I watched string theory movie. You should check it out.