NationStates Jolt Archive

Quick atomic physics question:

According to what formula does the strong nuclear force vary?
The same for the weak nuclear force?

I'm working on a project about the expansion of the universe, and want to include a section about the relative strengths of fundamental forces to the expansion rate of the universe. But I can't remember the answers to the above questions and google is being very unhelpful.

I'm 99% sure the strong and weak nuclear forces do not vary by formula. They are a certain strength up until molecules are a certain distance apart, and after that they are non-existant. The strong force has a range of 10^-15 m, which is the size of a small nucleus. The weak force has a range of 10^-18 m, which is the .1% the size of a proton.

You might want to wait for someone to verify that, though.

I think I'll change the title of this to "Guns are evil!!1" so people will read it...

I think I'll change the title of this to "Guns are evil!!1" so people will read it...
Hell I'd tap that.

It will be done. Mods, have mercy.

Moved to here:
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=422693

I think I'll change the title of this to "Guns are evil!!1" so people will read it...

So new, but has the hang of these forums already :)

The strong potential energy for the quark-antiquark pair of a meson is

V = (-4/3 * h_bar*c / r) * 0.1187 / (1 + (0.1187 / 12 / PI) * 23 * ln(|q^2| / mZ^2))



h_bar = Planck's reduced constant

c = light speed

r = distance between the quark and the antiquark

0.1187 is the strong coupling constant reported in the 2004 Review of Particle Physics

PI is that number you learned about in junior high math class

ln() is the natural logarithm

mZ^2 is the Z boson mass squared

|q^2| is an average momentum transfer that depends on r. I don't know what the |q^2| dependence on r is, only that there is one.

Quick atomic physics question:

According to what formula does the strong nuclear force vary?
The same for the weak nuclear force?



Ummmmmmmmm, yes. ;)