If the expansion of the universe happens uniformly, how does this affect small objects? For example, are the distances between protons and neutrons inside a nucleus actually expanding? Is the nucleus constantly pulling itself together so its diameter stays constant? What about say between the carbon atoms in a diamond? If I can observe said diamond forever, will its atoms eventually disassociate with each other or will it stay in one piece due to its covalent bonds counteracting the expansion of space?
Asked
Active
Viewed 30 times
0
-
2Specifically https://physics.stackexchange.com/a/441211/180843 or https://physics.stackexchange.com/a/505727/180843 ... the top answer to that question is unfortunately wrong. – Sten Jul 18 '23 at 08:11
-
@Sten what answer is wrong? in the duplicate? could you name the author? – anna v Jul 18 '23 at 10:01
-
@annav The answer by Marek basically suggests that gravity or electromagnetism overcome the tendency to expand in the context of galaxies and smaller things. That's a common misconception; the more accurate answer is that cosmic expansion doesn't supply a force that needs to be overcome in the first place. (Dark energy does, but contrary to another common misconception, this effect isn't connected to cosmic expansion, except tangentially. For example, the expansion force due to dark energy is only linked to the energy density of dark energy and not to the cosmic expansion rate.) – Sten Jul 18 '23 at 10:12