Determination of shear forces inside the proton.

We report on the first determination of the shear forces inside the proton from experimental data on deeply virtual Compton scattering. The maximum shear force of approximately 40 MeV/fm occurs near 0.6 fm from the proton center, indicating where confinement forces may be strongest. On the macroscopic scale of the earth surface, this force corresponds to the weight of a mass of about 650 kg. The shear forces in the proton reverse direction at r = 0.45 fm from the center, which brings the overall torque in the proton to zero, as required for stability.