Large Hadron Collider Reveals an Atomic Nucleus Shaped Like a Bowling Pin - ScienceAlert
Physicists at CERN's Large Hadron Collider have discovered that neon atomic nuclei possess a bowling-pin shape rather than the traditional spherical structure. This finding helps researchers better understand the collective behavior of matter under extreme collision energies.
Why it matters
Refining our understanding of atomic structure is fundamental to nuclear physics and improves models used to predict how matter behaves in high-energy environments.
Add ScienceAlert on Google (ComicSans/iStock/Getty Images Plus) Every atom of matter in the Universe is built around a nucleus.
It's a tightly packed bundle of protons and neutrons that makes up the atomic core, defines its elemental identity , and contains most of its mass.
Textbooks often depict this blob of particles as a sort of spherical raspberry, around which electrons whirl in a series of orbits – but that isn't always the most accurate picture.
Now, in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, physicists have found evidence of one of those shapes: a nucleus structured like a bowling pin lurking inside every atom of neon.
It's not a mere curiosity, either. Understanding this shape has implications for nuclear physics – and for understanding the strange collective behavior of matter produced when atomic nuclei collide at tremendous energies.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in