Kuarktan

Kuarktan is a hypothetical composite particle discussed in speculative extensions of quantum chromodynamics as well as in science fiction worldbuilding. It is described as a bound state of six quarks, forming a color-neutral object with baryon number two. In some models, kuarktan arises from an extended confining interaction sometimes described as a kuark force, which could stabilize hexaquark configurations beyond ordinary three-quark baryons. The internal structure is debated: it could be a tightly bound hexaquark or a molecular state made of two baryons.

Experimental status remains unsettled. There is no confirmed observation of a kuarktan. Searches in high-energy collider data and nuclear experiments have placed limits on possible masses and production rates, and no unambiguous signal has been detected. Some theoretical work also explores whether kuarktans could exist in the cores of dense astrophysical objects, such as neutron stars, where extreme pressures might permit exotic states of matter.

Etymology and usage of the term vary. Kuarktan is a neologism used in theoretical discussions and in science fiction to describe a hypothetical particle related to quarks. Because it is not an established particle in the Standard Model, its proposed properties and significance differ across sources.

See also: quark, dibaryon, hexaquark, preon theory, dark matter, neutron star matter.