Researchers from all over the world are conducting elaborate experiments in search of the mysterious glueballs: Particles that consist only of the force that holds matter together.
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Wiedner from the Ruhr University Bochum deals with astonishing phenomena in particle physics, including the question of how mass is created. He is particularly interested in so-called gluons. These particles are the carriers of the strong interaction, the glue inside matter, so to speak. Atomic nuclei consist of positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons. These in turn are made up of smaller particles, the quarks. The gluons ensure that the quarks stick together. This gives rise to some strange phenomena. Three quarks together form a proton. But the mass of the proton is around ten times heavier than the combined mass of the three quarks. How is this additional mass created? Possibly from the strong interaction, which contains a lot of energy.
According to theory, gluons can also form mergers, so-called glueballs. These would only consist of the strong interaction; it would be a researcher's dream to be able to detect them. Although unpredictable particles, possibly glueballs, have already been detected in particle accelerators, definitive proof is still pending. Software for evaluating the complex data is to compare the measurement data from experiments with theoretical predictions. And experiments in a new particle accelerator should help to definitively prove and unequivocally identify glueballs. Then perhaps we will know what holds matter together and why the ground beneath our feet is solid.
