In an atomic nucleus what holds the protons together: the electrons, nuclear forces or gravitation? Which force is stronger?: neutron-neutron, neutron-proton or proton-proton?
I thing it doesn't matter, that the bond strength depends on the charge of the neutrons/protons. I also know that protons are held together because of the nuclear forces. Can someone confirm?
nuclear forces hold all the particals in the nucleus.
And what about the pairs?
Neutron-neutron, neutron-proton, proton-proton? Is one stronger than the other or it depends on the charges?
Thank you very much,
honestly.
http://www.unclear2nuclear.com/np.php in deuterium only pn is stable
in larger atoms, it is much more complex
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/neutronrepulsion.htm
This is a bunch of articles in the latest MIT Physics department magazine (Physics at MIT 2017 Annual) about current research. It is about quarks and gluons. [ The Secret Life of Quarks, Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics, Jetting through the Quark Soup ]. I am not going to try to answer this question in greater detail than Bob Pursley has done.
In an atomic nucleus, the protons are held together by nuclear forces. To understand why, let's break it down:
The protons in a nucleus all have a positive charge, and according to the electromagnetic force (which governs the interaction between electrically charged particles), objects with the same charge tend to repel each other. So, based solely on electromagnetic forces, the positively charged protons would push each other apart.
However, nuclear forces, also known as strong nuclear forces or nuclear attraction, come into play within the nucleus. These forces are responsible for holding the protons together despite their repulsion.
Nuclear forces are unique as they are stronger than the electromagnetic force at very short distances. They are able to overcome the electromagnetic repulsion between protons, binding them together within the atomic nucleus. This is why the nucleus remains stable.
Now, regarding the strength of nuclear forces, let's compare interactions between particles in the nucleus:
Neutron-neutron, neutron-proton, and proton-proton interactions are all governed by nuclear forces. However, the strength of the interactions can vary between them.
Neutron-neutron interactions are generally the weakest among the three types, but they are also important for stabilizing large nuclei.
Neutron-proton interactions are stronger than neutron-neutron interactions since protons and neutrons have opposite charges. These interactions contribute to the stability of the nucleus.
Proton-proton interactions are the strongest among the three types of interactions. This is due to the strong electromagnetic repulsion between protons, as mentioned earlier. However, the nuclear forces are able to overcome this repulsion within the nucleus.
To summarize, in an atomic nucleus, nuclear forces hold the protons together, overcoming the electromagnetic repulsion. The strength of nuclear forces vary, with proton-proton interactions being the strongest, followed by neutron-proton interactions, and neutron-neutron interactions being the weakest.