Quarks never touch inside a proton
Quarks inside protons are bound by an unbreakable quantum force that strengthens with distance, preventing them from ever separating or directly interacting, which is essential for all stable matter.
Protons, the building blocks of atomic nuclei, are made of smaller particles called quarks. Surprisingly, these quarks are perpetually confined within the proton and never directly touch or escape. This is because the strong nuclear force, which binds them, grows stronger with distance. If you try to pull quarks apart, the force intensifies so much that it creates new particles instead of freeing a single quark. This explains why free quarks have never been observed, even in powerful particle accelerators. This phenomenon is crucial for stable matter, and without it, the atoms making up everything around us wouldn't exist. Scientists believe this confinement might break down at extreme temperatures, like those in the early universe, forming a quark-gluon plasma.