Re:Physicists may now have a way to make element 120
by WantonQuantum on Wednesday July 24, 2024 @07:49PM
(#41063430)
Interestingly, neutron stars do contain a small percentage of protons.
Re:Physicists may now have a way to make element 120
by adrian_b on Thursday July 25, 2024 @02:04AM
(#41065189)
However, those protons are not stable.
Their concentration is the result of the equilibrium between neutrons that decay into proton and electron pairs and proton-electron pairs that recombine into neutrons.
The complete neutron star still behaves like a giant nucleus with null electric charge, i.e. with Z=0.
It belongs in the group of noble gases, together with helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon. Like radon, it is unstable, but also like radon it is widespread in nature as a product of radioactive decays.
The element with Z=0 has multiple isotopes, like any other chemical element. Unlike for any other element, the possibility of gravitational stabilization makes the number of its stable isotopes potentially infinite.
The neutron stars can be seen as belonging to the isotopes of the chemical element with Z=0.