What lies beyond the quark? Unraveling the mysteries of the atom

[Atom1]

Hi, a question I have been asking myself is what where to happen if we where to look deeper into the atom? Is there a point in where there is really nothing? As far as I know it only goes down to quarks. Is the quark the end of it or is there more?

 

[Simon Bridge]

That is a very good question which is currently being studied.
One idea is that there is no such thing as "nothing" - on the planc scales, what we usually think of as a vacuum is sort-of foamy. On very small scales, though, our everyday ideas about what counts as "something" and "real" are difficult to apply.

I don't think anyone believes that the subdivision of particles goes on forever though.

 

[ZapperZ]

Hi, a question I have been asking myself is what where to happen if we where to look deeper into the atom? Is there a point in where there is really nothing? As far as I know it only goes down to quarks. Is the quark the end of it or is there more?

This chart might be useful to you, even if it is slightly out-of-date with the most recent result from the Higgs.

http://www.cpepweb.org/cpep_sm_large.html

This is the elementary particles that we currently know of. All the bosons and leptons listed are considered as elementary particles within the Standard Model. It means that these are the basic building blocks of all matter that we know of. So your atoms, your nucleus, your mesons, etc.. etc. are all built using one or more of these, and held together by the "interactions" that are also listed in the chart.

Zz.

 

[liubare]

This chart might be useful to you, even if it is slightly out-of-date with the most recent result from the Higgs.

http://www.cpepweb.org/cpep_sm_large.html

This is the elementary particles that we currently know of. All the bosons and leptons listed are considered as elementary particles without the Standard Model. It means that these are the basic building blocks of all matter that we know of. So your atoms, your nucleus, your mesons, etc.. etc. are all built using one or more of these, and held together by the "interactions" that are also listed in the chart.

Zz.

Really great website there, Zapper.

 

[pmacias]

I can tell you that the concept of the atom has been a topic of study for centuries and continues to be a complex and fascinating area of research. We have made significant progress in understanding the structure of the atom, but there is still much to learn.

To answer your question, if we were to look deeper into the atom, we would enter the realm of subatomic particles such as quarks, which are the building blocks of protons and neutrons. These particles are incredibly small and have unique properties that contribute to the overall behavior of atoms.

Currently, quarks are considered to be the smallest known particles, but there is always the possibility of discovering even smaller particles in the future. The field of particle physics is constantly evolving, and we are always pushing the boundaries of our understanding.

As for your question about whether there is a point where there is nothing, the concept of "nothingness" is a philosophical one and cannot be applied to the physical world. Even at the subatomic level, there is always something, whether it be particles, energy, or forces.

In conclusion, the study of the atom and its components is a never-ending journey, and there is always more to discover. While quarks may currently be the smallest known particles, the possibility of further discoveries and advancements in technology may open up new frontiers for exploration.