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Questions tagged [neutrons]

The neutron is a subatomic particle, with no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. It is a fermion of spin $\frac 1 2$; a hadron, that is it interacts strongly; and a nucleon, that is a crucial component of atomic nuclei.

4 votes
2 answers
453 views

Proton-Neutron Lattice as a form of matter?

Would it be possible for a lattice of protons and neutrons (I'm picturing a plane of hexagons in my head) to exist bound by the strong nuclear force (not gravity)? I know that the strong force losses ...
John's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
550 views

Is the long range neutron-antineutron interaction repulsive or attractive?

I can model this interaction as Zee does in "Quantum field theory in a nutshell". In chapter I.4 section "from particle to force" he uses two delta functions for the source. The integral gives $E=-\...
Anthonny's user avatar
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12 votes
3 answers
713 views

Does neutron radiation form clouds?

I've heard a couple of scary stories from experienced accellerator physiscists about something called neutron clouds. Apparently, if you have an experiment like a fixed-target experiment that produces ...
jdm's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
461 views

How would nucleosynthesis be different if the neutron were stable?

If the strong nuclear force were just 2% stronger, the neutron would be a stable particle instead of having a half life of about 13 minutes. What difference would that have made to Big Bang ...
FrankH's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
835 views

What is a proton-rich atom?

http://wiki.chemprime.chemeddl.org/images/e/e4/Plot_of_Neutron_Number_vs._Proton_Number_.jpg The above graph shows that all elements have more neutrons than protons in this nucleus. So how is there ...
Jonathan.'s user avatar
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71 votes
7 answers
27k views

How come neutrons in a nucleus don't decay?

I know outside a nucleus, neutrons are unstable and they have half life of about 15 minutes. But when they are together with protons inside the nucleus, they are stable. How does that happen? I got ...
Aria's user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
11k views

Having the same number of neutrons

Sorry if this is a silly question. If I understand correctly, for two atoms "having the same number of protons" is equivalent to "being of the same element", while "having the same number of protons ...
DaG's user avatar
  • 208
11 votes
3 answers
3k views

What is the difference between a neutron and hydrogen?

Differences? They are both an electron and a proton, since the neutron decays to a proton and an electron, what's the difference between a neutron and proton + electron? so is it just a higher binding ...
user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
376 views

What is a magnetised neutron star?

I heard the term the other day, but it seems strange to me. My understanding is that neutron stars are made up of neutrons; and neutrons (having no charge) shouldn't be magnetised.
Smashery's user avatar
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7 votes
3 answers
6k views

How are neutrons produced from cosmic ray particles?

What are the details of how neutrons are produced as a result of cosmic ray particles hitting our planet's atmosphere? For instance, what is the pathway that creates the highest number of neutrons ...
Peter Mortensen's user avatar
15 votes
4 answers
1k views

What's with the very slightly larger mass of the neutron compared to the proton?

Neutron mass: 1.008664 u Proton mass: 1.007276 u Why the discrepancy? On a related note, how does one go about measuring the mass of a neutron or proton, anyway?
Thomas O's user avatar
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29 votes
7 answers
12k views

Why do neutrons repel each other?

I can understand why 2 protons will repel each other, because they're both positive. But there isn't a neutral charge is there? So why do neutrons repel? (Do they, or have I been misinformed?) The ...
Jonathan.'s user avatar
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