atomic nuclei
Protons and neutrons
Atomic nuclei is the plural of atomic nucleus—the dense central core of an atom, composed of protons and neutrons held together by the strong nuclear force.
Nearly all of an atom's mass concentrates in this tiny region, which carries a positive charge: The atomic nuclei of heavier elements contain more protons.
Nuclear reactions involve changes to atomic nuclei, releasing or absorbing enormous energy.
Positive nuclear particle
- neutronUncharged nuclear particle
- nucleonProton or neutron
- isotopeElemental variant by mass
- mass numberProtons and neutrons combined
magic number · spin · nuclide · stable · unstable · charge · density · configuration
Subatomic binding interaction
- weak forceFundamental interaction causing radioactive decay
- quarkFundamental matter particle
- gluonStrong force mediator
- hadronQuark-containing subatomic particle
Gradual organic breakdown
- half-lifePeriod for fifty-percent reduction
- alphaFirst Greek letter
- betaGreek alphabet's second letter
- gammaGreek alphabet's third
radiation · transmutation · uranium · plutonium · thorium · radon · radioisotope · radiocarbon
Element ninety-two
- plutoniumActinide, atomic number 94
- chain reactionSelf-sustaining causal sequence
- critical massThreshold for self-sustaining reaction
- reactorControlled fission apparatus
moderator · control rod · enrichment · spent fuel · Manhattan Project · breeder · actinide · transuranium
Device speeding subatomic bits
- colliderDual-beam particle accelerator
- LHCMassive subatomic collision facility
- cyclotronSpiral-path particle accelerator
- synchrotronCircular charged-particle accelerator
detector · scattering · cross-section · Rutherford · CERN · mass spectrometer · beam · target
Electrified matter state
- thermonuclearInvolving nuclear fusion heat
- hydrogenSimplest atomic element
- heliumLightest noble gas
- deuteriumHydrogen isotope with neutron
tritium · sun · stars · supernova · ignition · tokamak · confinement · energy release
proton
Positive nuclear particle
mass number · magic number · spin · nuclide · stable · unstable · charge · density · configuration
strong force
Subatomic binding interaction
- weak forceFundamental interaction causing radioactive decay
- quarkFundamental matter particle
- gluonStrong force mediator
decay
Gradual organic breakdown
- half-lifePeriod for fifty-percent reduction
- alphaFirst Greek letter
- betaGreek alphabet's second letter
gamma · radiation · transmutation · uranium · plutonium · thorium · radon · radioisotope · radiocarbon · fission
uranium
Element ninety-two
- plutoniumActinide, atomic number 94
- chain reactionSelf-sustaining causal sequence
- critical massThreshold for self-sustaining reaction
reactor · moderator · control rod · enrichment · spent fuel · Manhattan Project · breeder · actinide · transuranium
particle accelerator
Device speeding subatomic bits
- colliderDual-beam particle accelerator
- LHCMassive subatomic collision facility
- cyclotronSpiral-path particle accelerator
synchrotron · detector · scattering · cross-section · Rutherford · CERN · mass spectrometer · beam · target · bombardment
plasma
Electrified matter state
- thermonuclearInvolving nuclear fusion heat
- hydrogenSimplest atomic element
- heliumLightest noble gas
deuterium · tritium · sun · stars · supernova · ignition · tokamak · confinement · energy release · Lawson criterion
- mattermatter, molecules, atom, molecule, element
- nuclear scienceradiation, neutrons, fission, uranium, isotopes
- nuclear astrophysicsnucleosynthesis, kilonova, supernovae, core collapse, heavy elements
atomic nucleielectron clouds
Electron probability distributions
electrons · electron shells · valence electrons · atomic orbitals
nuclear, atomic, nucleus, atoms, subatomic, atomism, nucleic, nuclei, atomistic