synchronizing proton movement with vibrations of atomic nuclei tagged posts

Like a surfer on a wave, a proton can be coupled with the vibrations of an atomic nucleus. Pictured in the role of proton is a bubble of air graphically pulled out from under the surface. Credit: IFJ PAN, jch

For surfers, it’s not enough just to wait for the right wave: they still have to know how to catch it. As it turns out, this also applies to protons. An experiment recently conducted by physicists from Poland, Italy and France provided new information on surfing taken to its absolute extreme: protons synchronizing their movement with vibrations of atomic nuclei.

A team measured, for the first time, the time needed for a single proton in a nucleus to synchronize with the oscillations of the nucleus...