What happens when ice melts? In physical terms, the average ambient energy, as measured by temperature, becomes greater than the binding energy of the water molecules, and so they break free of one another.
All you have to do is compare kT to the binding energy. If this is greater than the binding energy of the quarks comprising a proton or neutron, then they do indeed "melt".
“What happens when ice melts? In physical terms, the average ambient energy, as measured by temperature, becomes greater than the binding energy of the water molecules, and so they break free of one another.
“All you have to do is compare kT to the binding energy. If this is greater than the binding energy of the quarks comprising a proton or neutron, then they do indeed “melt”.”
With respect, that seems pretty strained. When water melts, H20 turns into H20. But when a proton “melts”, it turns into something else. But it’s definitely not a proton by another name.
The reporter might as well have described the result of heating H2 or CH4 as “melting.” It’s just binding energy that’s being broken.