You must have heard about strange matter
If no, you’ll soon have some basic knowledge
Here are a few questions (with answers) which would arise in your mind
Q-What is strange matter?
It is one of the most the stable form of matter formed possibly inside neutron stars
Q-Why it is called strange matter?
It is called “strange”, because it has a strangely long lifetime, because of its stability
Q-How is the strange matter made?
It can be formed from a lot neutrons subjected to very high pressure and density inside neutron stars (see 41 facts about neutron star)
Q-Why is strange matter stable?
Because more number of particles in it can acquire a lower quantum energy state
Q-Is strange matter indestructible?
Yes, because it’s highly stable, so converting it to any other form may not be possible
Q-Is strange matter dangerous?
Yes, because it can convert everything in its way into itself
Q-What would happen if a strangelet hits the earth?
The earth will become “strange earth”, and will reduce in size
Now let's elaborate them further
QUES#1- What is strange matter?
In simple terms we can say-
Strange matter is thought to be one of the most stable substances in the universe
And
If it’s the most stable state, all the matter in any other the form would like to convert into it
In scientific terms-
It is a matter made up of “strange quarks”
For understanding strange quarks, lets first understand what are quarks
· Quarks are small particle that makes us the heavier particles like proton and neutron, which make up the atoms and which makes up the matter
· These quarks are not seen in free form
· They are only known to exist as a smaller unit or building blocks of larger particles
· They are held together by a force, which doesn’t allow them to separate
· If you apply external force to separate the, this extra force will make up new quarks instead of separating them
· Only 2 forms of quarks are known to be stable, up-quark and down-quark
· The up and down quarks make up the normal matter we see around us
Now coming to strange quarks
These are quarks which are heavier than normal up and down quarks
The term ‘strange’ is used in their name because
· When they were formed in the lab, they lasted ‘strangely’ for a longer time than expected
· And also because they may not follow the known rules of physics
This longer lifetime also showed that they were very stable particles
QUES#2-How is strange matter made?
The strange matter can be made from normal quark matter (matter made up of normal up and down quarks) under very extreme conditions and a very high pressure
The transformation of normal quark matter requires-
· A pressure higher than a critical pressure
· A density higher than a critical density
But
It is also possible that, if the effective mass of strange quark is too high, it could be non-strange matter
1. It is also true at the same time that the, not all neutron stars have strange quarks in their core
2. This is because scientists have no clear idea about the critical density and pressure, required for the formation of the strange quarks
As the strange matter is “strange”, it would not be strange to say that above-stated conditions may not be mandatory for it to exist
According to the “strange matter hypothesis”
It is possible that strange matter can exist at zero pressure
And it can also be found in 2 forms-
1- As strange stars
2- As strangelets
Strange stars- these are the stars which can have the strange matter on their surface, unlike neutron stars which have it in their core
These stars have a very thin crust, made up of nuclear material
Strangelets- Strangelets are droplets of strange matter
They can be as small as the size of an atom
or
can be even very large about the size of a building
They can form from the following occurrences-
1- strange star is formed
2- 2 strange stars collide
3- Nuclear decay
QUES#3-Why strange matter is stable?
The stability of strange the matter is because the particles which make up strange matter can occupy the lowest quantum energy states
Here’s an elaborated answer
Let's look what’s happening inside a neutron star
· There are neutrons inside a neutron star
· Each neutron is made up of 2 down quarks and 1 up quark
· However, these quarks cannot exist outside the atomic nucleus, as it would require incredibly high pressures
· but, these pressures can be achieved in the core of a neutron star
· in the core of neutron star, due to very high pressure neutrons disintegrate, leaving behind only up and down quarks
· half of the down quarks get converted into strange quarks
· now there are 3 kinds of quarks inside the core: up quark, down quark, and strange quarks
· According to Pauli's exclusion principle “2 or more identical quarks (fermions) cannot occupy the same quantum energy state simultaneously, in a system”
· in other words, the more variety of particles are there, the more of them can occupy the same quantum state (see: 8 topics quantum mechanics complete beginner's guide)
· earlier there were only 2 kinds of particles (up and down quarks), so there were fewer particles in a low energy quantum state (because only different kinds of particles can occupy the same low energy quantum state)
· but when there are 3 kinds of particles, more particles can get into the same low energy quantum state (because now there more number different particles)
· the lower energy state leads to more stability
· this lower energy state means that, strange the matter may be the most stable energy state in the universe
QUES#4-is strange matter indestructible?
Most probably YES, the strange matter could be indestructible
This is because
· It is a highly stable form of matter
· Because of its stability, it wouldn’t like to convert into any other form
· It’s also contagious, it can transform anything that comes into its way, into itself
· if it touches something trying to destruct it, that object may become “strange” itself
· if we try to destruct it, we may end up creating even more of it
the only way to get rid of it would be-
· to throw it into a black hole
· because of the extreme gravity of the black hole, strange matter will go in, and never come out
QUES#5-Is strange matter dangerous?
Yes, the strange matter is dangerous
This is because
· It could be highly contagious
· Meaning that it can convert anything in its way into itself
· It becomes dangerous because it is possibly the most stable state of matter
· So if anything interacts with it, it would certainly like to convert itself into it, to attain the most stable state
Another way of understanding this-
The real danger is with strangelets that are
· Negatively charge
· have a surface tension more than a critical value
negative charge makes it more dangerous because they can
· live longer
· interact with the nuclei of normal matter
surface tension grater than a critical value would mean
· that larger strangelets would be more stable than smaller ones
thus a smaller strangelet would always try to convert other matter into a larger matter, by interacting with the nuclei of its atoms
QUES#6-what would happen if a strangelet hits the earth?
The earth will slowly convert in “strange” earth, and will shrink in size
Here’s why
· Strangelet with surface tension greater than a the critical value will be more stable when bigger in size
· So the strangelet will try to maximize its size
· It can do so, by converting whatever comes into it’s way, into a bigger whole
· At the part where strangelet strikes the earth, will convert into strange matter
· And this portion of earth will further convert anything in its way
· This way a chain of conversion will continue further
· Until the whole earth becomes “strange earth”.
Not only that, but the earth’s size will also change
Here’s why
· The density of an object or substance is defined as (mass/volume)
· If we assume constant mass, density will vary inversely with volume (the more the volume, the lesser dense it is, for a given mass)
· the strange matter has an extremely high density
· so anything which gets converted into it needs to change it’s volume, as its mass will not change upon conversion
· earth has a very low density in comparison to a strangelet
· for increasing its density after conversion, the the volume of earth needs to reduce, to match with the density of strange matter
· so the earth will shrink
certainly, it would not be a good experience to live on strange earth
because
not only earth, but you will also be crushed, as soon as you are converted into “strange you”
Conclusion-
That’s it
This was my list of questions on the strange matter
Which question was your favorite?
Would you like any other question on the list?
Let me know in the comments section
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