The protons and neutrons making up atomic nuclei are made up of a trio of even smaller fundamental particles known as quarks.
A new study has now mapped out in unprecedented detail the distribution of the different kinds of quark inside a proton, expanding on our understanding of this all-important part of an atom.
Although the quantum landscape within protons is a seething mess of quarks and their opposing antiquarks popping in and out of existence, there is a general dominance of two ‘flavors’ over the others; two up-flavor quarks and a single down-flavor quark.
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