Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Color transparency
open-in-new
<p>Color transparency is a phenomenon observed in high-energy <a href="/facts/Particle_physics/YgIuyj2t">particle physics</a>, where <a href="/facts/Hadrons/C0sd1zty">hadrons</a> (particles made of <a href="/facts/Quarks/hwuuVkV5">quarks</a> such as a <a href="/facts/Proton/clCjepXP">proton</a> or <a href="/facts/Mesons/9R0kIc1q">mesons</a>) created in a <a href="/facts/Atomic_nucleus/orpIm5Xl">nucleus</a> propagate through that nucleus with less interaction than expected. It suggests that hadrons are first created with a small size in the nucleus, and then grow to their nominal size. Here, <i>color</i> refers to the <a href="/facts/Color_charge/aWS1xsCR">color charge</a>, the property of quarks and gluons that determines how strongly they interact through the <a href="/facts/Strong_interaction/JjRsKcLg">nuclear strong force</a>. </p><p>Color transparency is also known as "color screening", "color coherence" or "color neutrality". </p>