Nobel laureate discusses quark particle with Vietnamese students

Nobel laureate, Professor Jerome Isaac Friedman, has expressed his wish that young Vietnamese people would use modern accelerators to uncover the mystery of quarks, as well as the smallest components of the universe, over the next three decades.

Nobel laureate, Professor Jerome Isaac Friedman, discussing elementary particles at a meeting with Vietnamese students in Quy Nhon city on August 8. (Photo: VNA)
Nobel laureate, Professor Jerome Isaac Friedman, discussing elementary particles at a meeting with Vietnamese students in Quy Nhon city on August 8. (Photo: VNA)

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The statement was made by the American physicist at a meeting with Vietnamese students at Quy Nhon University in Quy Nhon city on August 8, discussing the quark particle, a fundamental constituent of matter.

The event was part of the activities within the framework of the 14th Rencontres du Vietnam (Meeting Vietnam) programme, organised by the Rencontres du Vietnam Association in collaboration with Ministry of Science and Technology and the People's Committee of Binh Dinh province.

Prof. Jerome Isaac Friedman asserted that all things, from a table, an apple or a body, are made up of quark particles, a type of elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine together to form assemblies, also known as hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons - the constituent components of the atomic nucleus.

Thousands of Binh Dinh students and many young people who love science from all over the country enthusiastically raised questions for Prof. Jerome Isaac Friedman. They said that the exchange offered more opportunities for local students to gain access to the advanced science of the world.

According to the professor, Vietnamese scientists, especially young researchers, have potential for studying science. He suggested that Vietnam makes better use of and promotes human potential and the strength of science and technology for a bright future.

In addition to researching and applying scientific and technological advances, investing in basic science is also necessary, although it does not contribute immediately to socio-economic development, he said, adding that it creates breakthroughs and opens the direction for research and application, thereby contributing to the development of countries around the world.

Professor Jerome Isaac Friedman, born March 28, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois, the US, won the 1990 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Henry Kendall and Richard Taylor, for proving the existence of quarks.

He is the student of the great physicist Enrico Fermi, the founder of the atomic bomb and nuclear reactor. He is Institute Professor and Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.