Gross, David Jonathon

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US physicist. With US physicists Hugh Politzer and Frank Wilczek, Gross shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2004 for his contribution to the theoretical explanation of how the strong nuclear force holds quark subatomic particles together.

Gross and his fellow Nobel laureates derived a theory to explain how the strong force, or the colour interaction, acts between quarks. Quarks are subatomic particles that make up protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. Previously it was not understood how quarks could not be made to act as individual particles except at very high energies; the work by the laureates showed that the strong force acts to make the attraction between quarks increase with distance, so that the further apart they are, the stronger the force is that brings them back together, preventing individual quarks from leaving the nucleus. This work was detailed in two scientific publications published in 1971 and formed the basis of the theory of colour interaction known as quantum chromodynamics (QCD), that allowed the completion of the standard model of particle physics.

Green expresses hope. White symbolizes peace. It is said that the saltire may have been based on the former flag of Belgian airline, Sabena. Red represents the blood shed in the struggle for independence. Effective date: 27 September 1982. >>