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The boundaries of this valley are the neutron drip line on the neutron-rich side, and the proton drip line on the proton-rich side. [2] These limits exist because of particle decay, whereby an exothermic nuclear transition can occur by the emission of one or more nucleons (not to be confused with particle decay in particle physics).
Quantity (common name/s) (Common) symbol/s Defining equation SI units Dimension Number of atoms N = Number of atoms remaining at time t. N 0 = Initial number of atoms at time t = 0
Magic numbers are typically obtained by empirical studies; if the form of the nuclear potential is known, then the Schrödinger equation can be solved for the motion of nucleons and energy levels determined. Nuclear shells are said to occur when the separation between energy levels is significantly greater than the local mean separation.
The boundaries of the valley of stability, that is, the upper limits of the valley walls, are the neutron drip line on the neutron-rich side, and the proton drip line on the proton-rich side. The nucleon drip lines are at the extremes of the neutron-proton ratio. At neutron–proton ratios beyond the drip lines, no nuclei can exist.
The first step of the proton-proton chain is a two-stage process: first, two protons fuse to form a diproton: 1 H + 1 H + 1.25 MeV → 2 He; then the diproton immediately beta-plus decays into deuterium: 2 He → 2 H + e + + ν e + 1.67 MeV; with the overall formula 1 H + 1 H → 2 H + e + + ν e + 0.42 MeV.
The neutron transport equation is a balance statement that conserves neutrons. Each term represents a gain or a loss of a neutron, and the balance, in essence, claims that neutrons gained equals neutrons lost. It is formulated as follows: [1]
The neutron–proton ratio (N/Z ratio or nuclear ratio) of an atomic nucleus is the ratio of its number of neutrons to its number of protons. Among stable nuclei and naturally occurring nuclei, this ratio generally increases with increasing atomic number. [ 1 ]
A neutron in free state is an unstable particle, with a half-life around ten minutes. It undergoes β − decay (a type of radioactive decay) by turning into a proton while emitting an electron and an electron antineutrino. This reaction can occur because the mass of the neutron is slightly greater than that of the proton.