Cone or flask? The shape that detects confinement
Thursday, November 10, 2016 - 09:02
in Physics & Chemistry
In physics, confinement of particles is such an important phenomenon that the Clay Mathematics Institute has even pledged an award of a million dollars to anyone who can give a convincing and exhaustive scientific explanation from a mathematical point of view. For example, the quarks are confined in pairs or threes by the strong interaction- the force which holds the nuclei of the atoms together- making up neutrons and protons. A recent study at SISSA adds a new chapter to what we know about confinement. Using a relatively simple method, it has been shown how to determine whether, in a system with ferromagnetic characteristics, the emerging "particles" are subject to confinement. The study was published in Nature Physics.