====== 'Strange' matter ======

'Normal' matter has atomic nuclei formed with 'up' and 'down'[[content:physics:quantum_physics:quarks|quarks]]. It's confirmed, however, that there are six types of quark - one of which is known as the 'strange' quark.

Multiple observations have shown that in isolation they spontaneously decay into 'up' quarks - in line with current theory.

In the mid 70s and early 80s, two nuclear physicists, Arnold Bodmer and Edward Witten proposed separately that it might be theoretically possible for stable matter to exist if its nuclei were built from roughly equal numbers of 'up', 'down' and 'strange' quarks.

This is the so-called //Strange Matter Hypothesis. //

Theoretical particles formed in this way have been given the name //Strangelets// - but, in theory, combinations of strange matter particles could be stable at any size, and it has been proposed that entire 'Neutron Stars' could be formed from strange matter.

To date, no strange matter has ever been observed - either in high-energy nuclear experiments or as a result of cosmic ray bombardment.

Nevertheless, many physicists agree on the theoretical possibility that it could exist.

Further technical details [[https://web.archive.org/web/20100107024303/http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~jholden/strange/strange.html|Rutgers University (holden)]]

( Note that Strange Matter has recently been proposed as a possible candidate for an explanation of [[content:physics:cosmology:dark_matter]] )