A neutrom has mass, it has a dimension, therefore it must have a surface. What color would a neutron surface have? A large number of neutrons make a neutron star. How would that surface look to an observer? What color would the nutron star have? Does the word color have any meaning in subatomic physics?
2006-12-21 18:21:38 · 3 answers · asked by Sylvia C 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
To my knowledge and I'm quite out of date - color in the sense that we understand it has no meaning on the subatomic level.
However, your question on the color of a neutron star is interesting. My understanding is that neutron stars that radiate in the visible spectrum show color by the temperature of the neutron star itself.
As for the color of one which has cooled to the point of no longer radiating in the visible spectrum - the color would be black, unless light was shined on it. Should that occur - I have absolutely no idea what color it might be...
I would lean towards grey - but I suspect someone or one's have written speculative physics papers on the subject.
Would be interesting to find one.
-dh
2006-12-21 18:26:51 · answer #1 · answered by delicateharmony 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
My physics textbook said that color doesn't really have meaning at that scale. A lot of other people have pointed out that the color of an object is determined by the wavelengths of light it reflects. What that means is, if an object is smaller than the wavelength of visible light, NO visible light can reflect off of it, so it has no color. This is also part of the reason why it will never be possible to make an optical (based on visible light waves) microscope that can see things smaller than about 200 nm.
I have to say, though, the neutron star question is interesting. A neutron star, unlike a neutron, is big enough to scatter visible light, so it would have a color.
2006-12-21 19:23:21 · answer #2 · answered by Amy F 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
AH! That is a very good question, and there isn't a person alive who can answer that question without speculating. Man, what a great question! Color in fact may have absolutely no meaning at the subatomic level. See, standard particle physics states basically that particles are just a dot of no size. No mass. No dimension. No surface. According to superstring theorist, the particle is replaced by a vibrating strand of energy of non-zero size--so we can suppose it has mass, dimension, and a surface. In any case, we're talking about something unimaginably tiny. Color results from the reflection of light. For a subatomic particle (or whatever they in fact are) is there surface enough for light to reflect?? So what color are these things? I think you're on to something when you suggest that color may have no meaning here... As for the color of Neutron stars... I'd google it!
2006-12-21 18:55:22 · answer #3 · answered by 670000000mph 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you might want to ask this question in the physics section or the geology section, but my 'guess' is that, as a whole a rock can be brown, so microscopically it is still brown. At a closer level, we can only see using radar tech, bouncing electrons off the object. We have a picture of a neutron, but it's not natural light at all, it's a graphical representation of how the electrons bounced off the object.
So, again, my 'guess' is that if we could gather the visible light being bounced of a neutron with an instrument in the future, i imagine it would be the color of the object as a whole, like that brown rock. btw. neutrons don't really have a surface, but are also a cloud of 3 quarks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark
2006-12-21 18:33:28 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Color refers to the wavelength of the light that is reflected from or given off of something. If a Neutron was giving off light, it's color would be the wavelength of that light. From the way I understand it, photons are tons more likely to connect with an electron than with a nuetron, so probably no reflection going on--I don't think Neutrons give off radiation unless the nucleus is decaying, and even then, I'm not certain that it's the neutrons that are giving off radiation....
A neutron star is the "burnt out" core of a massive star that has died, probably in a supernova. The mass of this star is greater than 1.4 times the mass of the sun, and has collapsed past being degenerate matter to being matter that has compressed so tightly that it is made entirely of neutrons. It would still retain enourmous amounts of energy, and would be spinning VERY fast. A neutron star would be brilliant white. You would have to filter out the light to see the surface, and it would probably be a very smooth looking surface. you probably wouldn't even be able to really tell if you were seeing it right, it would be so smooth. There would likely be plasma there too, following twisted magnetic flux lines. In a word: hellish.
I don't know about color in subatomic physics, as stated before, it all depends on where the photons go and what their wavelength is when they get there.
2006-12-21 18:33:10 · answer #5 · answered by ~XenoFluX 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
To my knowledge and I'm quite out of date - color in the sense that we understand it has no meaning on the subatomic level.
However, your question on the color of a neutron star is interesting. My understanding is that neutron stars that radiate in the visible spectrum show color by the temperature of the neutron star itself.
As for the color of one which has cooled to the point of no longer radiating in the visible spectrum - the color would be black, unless light was shined on it. Should that occur - I have absolutely no idea what color it might be...
I would lean towards grey - but I suspect someone or one's have written speculative physics papers on the subject.
2006-12-21 18:47:15 · answer #6 · answered by subbu 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Atoms and electrons CAUSE color. Most metals are silver because the free electrons in the metal allow the material to absorb and re-emit all colors of the visible spectrum equally (basically reflecting all incoming light). Certain structures of metals, such as that in gold and copper, allow for bound electrons which change the absorption of the material. Less blue and violet is absorbed (transmitted through the material) but the same amount of reds and yellows are absorbed and re-emitted, thus giving a yellow or redish tint. Colors in plastics and ceramic materials is more complex but basically deal with the interaction between the electrons and incoming light in the visible spectrum.
2016-03-17 00:46:09 · answer #7 · answered by Sheryl 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From what I remember in my study of physics, there is no color. Color is perceived by the human eye. In fact, I believe it was in one of my philosophy classes where this had been discussed. Color is the human mind's perception. Maybe I'm wrong about this, but this is just a thought. Furthermore, color depends on the conditions that you are in (night or day). And a very good question. I say the word colour has no meaning in subatomic physics because our eyes cannot perceive something so small.
2006-12-21 18:28:01 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
Diamonds 514 reeallly needs to calm down..
all she had to say is that yes its colorless and color has and yes the word color does have a meaning is subatomic physics
2006-12-21 18:32:31 · answer #9 · answered by VCP 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I think the color of a nuetron is radio frequency.
2006-12-21 18:24:29 · answer #10 · answered by Natsif Alphamith 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋