Scribd
Upload
77 views2 pages

Fundamental Forces: and Fields

The four fundamental forces of nature are gravitational, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear forces. The strong nuclear force binds protons and neutrons together in the nucleus. Quantum field theory describes each fundamental force as being mediated by exchange particles called gauge bosons, which all have a spin of one unit. Gauge symmetry theories study the transformations that leave the underlying physics of a quantum field unchanged. Physicists are seeking a unified theory that combines quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and the electroweak theory, and ultimately incorporates quantum gravity as well.

Uploaded by

nikita bajpai
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
77 views2 pages

Fundamental Forces: and Fields

The four fundamental forces of nature are gravitational, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear forces. The strong nuclear force binds protons and neutrons together in the nucleus. Quantum field theory describes each fundamental force as being mediated by exchange particles called gauge bosons, which all have a spin of one unit. Gauge symmetry theories study the transformations that leave the underlying physics of a quantum field unchanged. Physicists are seeking a unified theory that combines quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and the electroweak theory, and ultimately incorporates quantum gravity as well.

Uploaded by

nikita bajpai
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Fundamental forces 

and fields
The four basic forces of nature, in order of increasing strength, are
thought to be: (1) the gravitational force between particles with
mass; (2) the electromagnetic force between particles with charge
or magnetism or both; (3) the colour force, or strong force, between
quarks; and (4) the weak force by which, for example, quarks can
change their type, so that a neutron decays into a proton, an
electron, and an antineutrino. The strong force that binds protons
and neutrons into nuclei and is responsible for fission, fusion, and
other nuclear reactions is in principle derived from the colour force.
Nuclear physics is thus related to QCD as chemistry is to atomic
physics.

fission
Sequence of events in the fission of a uranium nucleus by a neutron.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
According to quantum field theory, each of the four fundamental
interactions is mediated by the exchange of quanta, called vector
gauge bosons, which share certain common characteristics. All have
an intrinsic spin of one unit, measured in terms of Planck’s
constant ℏ. (Leptons and quarks each have one-half unit of
spin.) Gauge theory studies the group of transformations, or Lie
group, that leaves the basic physics of a quantum field invariant. Lie
groups, which are named for the 19th-century Norwegian
mathematician Sophus Lie, possess a special type
of symmetry and continuity that made them first useful in the study
of differential equations on smooth manifolds (an abstract
mathematical space for modeling physical processes). This
symmetry was first seen in the equations for electromagnetic
potentials, quantities from which electromagnetic fields can be
derived. It is possessed in pure form by the eight massless gluons of
QCD, but in the electroweak theory—the unified theory of
electromagnetic and weak force interactions—gauge symmetry is
partially broken, so that only the photon remains massless, with the
other gauge bosons (W+, W−, and Z) acquiring large masses.
Theoretical physicists continue to seek a further unification of QCD
with the electroweak theory and, more ambitiously still, to unify
them with a quantum version of gravity in which the force would be
transmitted by massless quanta of two units of spin called gravitons.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy