434
Should Neutron Stars be Added to the Periodic Table? (lemmy.zip)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
50 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

https://jabde.com/2024/08/10/should-neutron-stars-be-added-to-the-periodic-table/

I say yes, entirely because it's hilarious

A figure of the periodic table with proposed element "Rx" atomic number 10^56. The proposed element's square is separated from the rest of the table by a vertical double-arrow labeled "10^37 lightyears (not to scale)". A figure label reads "Figure 2: A representative diagram of a periodic table incorporating element 10^56."
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm not exactly well-read on particle physics, but to my understanding neutrons and neutrinos are neutrally charged and electrons are negatively charged. Why does a proton break down into net-negatively charged particles? I assume some weird quark shenanigans.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    https://abc.lbl.gov/wallchart/chapters/03/2.html

    I got stuff mixed

    In beta minus decay, a neutron decays into a proton, an electron, and an antineutrino: n Æ p + e - +. In beta plus decay, a proton decays into a neutron, a positron, and a neutrino: p Æ n + e+ +n. Both reactions occur because in different regions of the Chart of the Nuclides, one or the other will move the product closer to the region of stability. These particular reactions take place because conservation laws are obeyed. Electric charge conservation requires that if an electrically neutral neutron becomes a positively charged proton, an electrically negative particle (in this case, an electron) must also be produced. Similarly, conservation of lepton number requires that if a neutron (lepton number = 0) decays into a proton (lepton number = 0) and an electron (lepton number = 1), a particle with a lepton number of -1 (in this case an antineutrino) must also be produced. The leptons emitted in beta decay did not exist in the nucleus before the decay–they are created at the instant of the decay.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •