Protons May Carry Baryon Number via Gluon Junction, Not Just Quarks
RHIC’s STAR detector data suggest baryon number may be carried and transported by a gluon ‘baryon junction’—a Y-shaped network linking a proton’s three valence quarks—rather than by the quarks alone. If confirmed, this could explain perpendicular baryon yields in collisions and upend the textbook view of proton structure, deepening our understanding of matter’s stability.