What are Nucleons?

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Nucleons are composite particles made up of protons and neutrons. The protons and neutrons collectively present in the nucleus of an atom are called nucleons. The nucleons occupy very small space inside the nucleus. Nucleons are an important part of an atomic nucleus and therefore, they are important in particle physics. Every mass in the matter is made up of atoms and molecules, and atoms are in turn compose of nucleons. Every atom is made of nucleons, which are further divided into protons, neutrons and electrons, which orbit the nucleus. An atom can be viewed as a miniature solar system, with "planets" (electrons) orbiting a central "star" (the nucleus, composed of nucleons).

Electrons only have 1/1836 the mass of protons, and 1/1837 the mass of neutrons. Neutrons and protons have about the same mass. Since nucleons are an integral part of the atomic nucleus there will be no independent nucleons. The atomic nucleus of the particles strongly holds the nucleons with a strong force. However, when the force is broken it can generate a lot of power, and that power is generally termed as the nuclear energy which is very similar to what is used in nuclear bombs. Nucleons found in radioactive decay substances like uranium can be harmful to all life as it can spread alpha radiation in just a matter of second.

What are the Properties of Nucleons?

• Protons and neutrons are most important and best known for constituting atomic nuclei, but they can also be found on their own, not part of a larger nucleus. A proton on its own is the nucleus of the hydrogen-1 atom (1H), the most abundant isotope of hydrogen
• A neutron on its own is unstable, but they can be found in nuclear reactions and are used in scientific analysis
• Both the proton and neutron are made of three quarks. The proton is made of two up quarks (the lightest of all quarks, a type of elementary particle, and a major constituent of matter) and one down quark (the second-lightest of all quarks), while the neutron is one up quark and two down quarks. The quarks are held together by the strong force. It is assumed that the quarks are held together by gluons (elementary particles)
• An up quark has electric charge +2/3 e, and a down quark has charge -1/3 e, so the total electric charge of the proton and neutron are + e and 0, respectively. The word "neutron" comes from the fact that it is electrically "neutral"
• The mass of the proton and neutron is quite similar: The proton is 1.6726 * 10⁻²⁷ kg while the neutron is 1.6749 * 10⁻²⁷ kg. The neutron is roughly 0.1% heavier

How to describe the Stability of Nucleons?

• A neutron by itself is an unstable particle. It undergoes beta − decay (a type of radioactive decay) by turning into a proton, electron and other particles.
• A proton by itself is thought to be stable, or at least its lifetime is too long to measure which is an important issue in particle physics.
• On the other hand, inside a nucleus, both protons and neutrons can be stable or unstable, depending on the nuclide. A nuclide (from nucleus) is an atomic species characterized by the specific constitution of its nucleus, i.e., by its number of protons Z, its number of neutrons N, and its energy state.
• Inside some nuclides, a neutron can turn into a proton (plus other particles).
• Inside other nuclides the reverse can happen, where a proton turns into a neutron (plus other particles) through beta decay or electron capture. Electron capture is a process in which a proton-rich nuclide absorbs an inner atomic electron (changing a nuclear proton to a neutron) and simultaneously emits a neutrino.
• And inside still other nuclides, both protons and neutrons are stable and does not change form.

What are Nuclear forces?

Nuclear forces are attractive forces which exist in between protons and neutrons, neutron and neutron, proton and proton. It is the strongest force. It is much stronger than gravitational and electrostatic forces due to positive charge on protons. This strong force is about 100 times stronger than the electromagnetic force, but it only operates on extremely tiny distances, i.e. the scale of nucleons. However, when its power is released, by breaking or fusing together atomic nuclei, the results are incredible as in the case of atomic bombs, or the Sun, which both operate by manipulating nucleons. This is commonly known as "Nuclear energy." Nucleons found in radioactive decay substances like uranium can be harmful to the life of people as it can spread alpha radiation in just a matter of seconds.

What are Anti-nucleons?

Corresponding to most kinds of particles, there is an associated antiparticle with the same mass and opposite electric charge. For example, the antiparticle of the electron is the positively charged anti-electron, or positron, which is produced naturally in certain types of radioactive decay. Both of the nucleons have corresponding antiparticles called anitnucleons.

• The Antiproton, sometimes referred to as a negatron, is the antiparticle of the proton. Antiprotons are stable, but they are typically short-lived.
• Anti-neutron which is the antiparticle of the neutron. It has the same mass as the neutron, and no net electric charge.

These antimatter particles have the same mass and opposite charge as the proton and neutron respectively, and they interact in the same way. If there is a difference, it is too small to measure in all experiments to date. In particular, anti-nucleons can bind into an "anti-nucleus". So far, scientists have created anti-deuterium and antihelium-3 nuclei.

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