Extra neutrons in heavy atoms and Gravity

In summary: Sorry to hear you're struggling to understand what I'm asking. Can you please clarify what you're looking for? Thanks!
  • #1
Nuclear Lad
3
0
Question:
The postulate that mass attracts mass is present in both the classical description of gravity and GR. My question is related to the extra nuetrons in heavy atoms, if there is experimental evidence that these extra neutrons are also part of the equation.
I wish to read about experiments that confirm that gravity is not related to paired nucleons, p-n pairs. Any suggestions?

br, nl
 
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  • #2
I can't quite understand what you are looking for. However it is safe to say that gravity has no role in holding the particles in nuclei together. Off hand I don't know exactly how many orders, but gravity is very many orders of magnitude less than the strong force between quarks (nucleon constituents).
 
  • #3
mathman said:
I can't quite understand what you are looking for. However it is safe to say that gravity has no role in holding the particles in nuclei together. Off hand I don't know exactly how many orders, but gravity is very many orders of magnitude less than the strong force between quarks (nucleon constituents).

I believe the typical ratio of strong:gravity is [itex]10^{-39}[/itex] (that might be electromagnetism, not strong - strong:EM is [itex]10^{-2}[/itex]) - point being, this is VERY small, and far beyond our ability to measure on top of the strong nuclear force!

There IS some attempts to study graviational effects in particle physics systems, but they're very ambitious! For example: there are some people who are proposing to study antiprotons to search for "antigravity" - this looks VERY hard, to me, and I don't understand it. But look at the antiproton working group at the "Project-X report" (I'm not sure the link, but you can start on www.fnal.gov;[/URL] or just try google).
 
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  • #4
however, in Neutron stars, nuclei and nucleons are held togheter by gravitation to a very large extent:-)
 
  • #5
mathman said:
I can't quite understand what you are looking for. (nucleon constituents).

Sorry guys. Must have misled you. I want to read about experiments whereby it is shown that if a fixed mass M5, made up entirely of p-n pairs [nuclei with same number of protons and neutrons] and another mass also of M5 but made up of heavy atoms [nuclei contains more neutrons than protons] will have the same 'pull'.
According to Newton's law for gravitation F=G.m1.m2/r2 the pull is the same. My question is where can I find research comparing these two types of nuclei in the real world.

Posted it here because you are the experts for Nuclear physics and I've read elsewhere that, quote
"the nucleus is the little heavy place that knows everything there is to know about gravity" (Man from Kibish)
 
  • #6
You are funny, what is a "man from kibish" and what has that to do with anything relevant?

Are you saying that you want to compare a heavy Z = A/2 nucleus gravitational "pull" compared to another nuclei with same A?

I can tell you that the effects of gravity in the subatomic world is totaly neglectable in the subatomic world - you CAN'T measure the effect of gravity. And certainty not in the nuclear physics field, where you have the "so called" Strong force. (also see post #3).

btw WHY should not n-p paris have gravitational effect? n-p is just deutrons. Also the pairing force is between identical nucleons in a nucleus...
 
  • #7
I seem to remember a series of experiments where torsion balances with different materials attached at the ends were made to resonate with the gravitational forcing caused by the rotation of the earth. They were extremely precise, and confirmed that mass of all kinds, including energy, gravitates the same to something like 1 in 10^10. I thought they were done by Dicke, but google seems to return no relevant results. Will Clifford's Living Review article on GR experiments might not be a bad place to start.
 
  • #8
genneth said:
I seem to remember a series of experiments where torsion balances with different materials attached at the ends were made to resonate with the gravitational forcing caused by the rotation of the earth. They were extremely precise, and confirmed that mass of all kinds, including energy, gravitates the same to something like 1 in 10^10. I thought they were done by Dicke, but google seems to return no relevant results. Will Clifford's Living Review article on GR experiments might not be a bad place to start.

Thanks Pal. The ones I found were comparing metal weights with little interest to my query. I will look elsewhere. Thanks again.

Malawi_glenn has presumably not understood my question since I may be in the wrong section. Apologies. Will re-post elsewhere.

Nuclear Lad
 

1. What are extra neutrons in heavy atoms?

Extra neutrons in heavy atoms refer to the additional neutrons in the nucleus of an atom that make it heavier than usual. These extra neutrons can be added through artificial means, such as nuclear reactions, or can occur naturally in certain elements.

2. How do extra neutrons affect the stability of heavy atoms?

The addition of extra neutrons can change the stability of a heavy atom. In some cases, it can make the atom more stable by increasing the number of strong nuclear forces within the nucleus. However, too many extra neutrons can also make the atom unstable and prone to radioactive decay.

3. What is the role of extra neutrons in nuclear reactions?

Extra neutrons play a crucial role in nuclear reactions, as they can either be absorbed or emitted during the process. The absorption of extra neutrons can result in the formation of heavier, more stable atoms, while the emission of extra neutrons can lead to the release of energy in the form of radiation.

4. How does gravity affect extra neutrons in heavy atoms?

Gravity does not directly affect the presence of extra neutrons in heavy atoms. However, it does play a role in the overall stability and behavior of heavy atoms. The gravitational force between atoms can impact their arrangement and interactions, which can then affect the stability of the atom's nucleus.

5. Can extra neutrons impact the mass and size of an atom?

Yes, extra neutrons can impact the mass and size of an atom. As mentioned before, extra neutrons can make the atom heavier, which can also result in a larger size. However, the addition of extra neutrons can also cause the atom to become unstable and eventually break apart, leading to a decrease in mass and size.

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