Eli5: What is the “island of stability” in nuclear physics?
In: Physics
As a general rule the bigger an atom gets the less stable it is as the ~~weak~~ strong nuclear force has to work harder against the electromagnetic force. Thats why Uranium is used in nuclear reactors it’s easy to split. Really big atoms exist for microseconds before they tear themselves apart. The Island of Stability is an idea that there is a certain configuration of protons and neutrons that will make a stable atom much bigger then any currently known stable atom. For elements well above 110
Our theoretical understanding of nuclear structure explains which isotopes are unstable and which are stable very accurately. However, that math suggests that there might be substantially heavier elements than we have observed which might be stable.
This might be a flaw in the theory, or it might be math that doesn’t match the real world, or it might point to unknown new elements. This last option is intriguing, as those elements might lead to novel material properties, if they exist or can be made.
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