When was the strong nuclear force first identified as a fundamental force?
Quick Answer
In the 1930s, as physicists developed the theory of the force that binds atomic nuclei together. Hideki Yukawa proposed the exchange-particle idea in 1935, which became the foundation of the modern strong interaction.
The Full Story
The strong nuclear force was recognized in the 1930s, after physicists realized that something beyond electromagnetism and gravity was needed to hold protons and neutrons together in the nucleus. In 1935, Japanese physicist Hideki Yukawa proposed that the force was carried by a new particle, later identified with mesons. This was a major step toward the modern theory of the strong interaction, which is now described by quantum chromodynamics. The force is the strongest of the four fundamental forces, but it acts only over very short distances inside the nucleus.
Key Facts
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"The force that literally holds matter together was predicted before anyone had seen its carrier."
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