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I was wondering how it could be possible to artificially overcome the strong nuclear force, allowing for the nucleons to be released from each other.

If you can't think of any possible solution, is their a way that this naturally occurs?

Thank you,

Jack

tryst with freedom
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2 Answers2

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Welcome to physics.SE.

I guess this depends on what you mean by "artificially overcome." E.g., as pointed out in a comment, this could include nuclear fission. If "overcome" means to cancel the strong nuclear force using some other externally applied force, then your externally applied force would have to do the amount of work that was released. So you'd just be getting back out the energy you put in.

In general when posting questions here, it's a good idea to try to think them through and research them as much as possible, rather than asking this kind of vague and wide-open question.

  • Thank you, I have done research and I have it a roadblock. You are correct by what I mean as overcome - I mean to cancel it out, letting the nucleons release from each other. What type of externally applied force do you mean? –  Jan 26 '19 at 22:48
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The only way that we can force nucleons to get broken apart from one another against the nuclear force which is holding them together is by hitting them hard enough with another nucleon that the energy thus delivered in the collision is sufficient to overcome their binding energy. This can be accomplished either in a particle accelerator, where the particles doing the "hitting" have been pumped up to form a very high energy beam, or in nuclear reactors, where the "hitting energy" is in the form of extremely intense heat (i.e., random thermal motion of the target and projectile particles).

Other than that, there is no other way to reach in and "artificially" turn off the nuclear force.

niels nielsen
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  • How about blasting the nucleus with high energy positrons (from an accelerator) to convert its neutrons to protons (and antineutrinos), so that the mutual repulsion of the protons breaks the nucleus? But maybe the neutrons will just spit the positrons straight back out, especially when the proton : neutron ratio gets too high. – PM 2Ring Jan 27 '19 at 02:46
  • Don't know. But there are people here who probably do. Why not post that as a question? – niels nielsen Jan 27 '19 at 02:53
  • Good idea, but I better do some research first. I'm not having much luck finding anything about positron - nucleus collisions, or even electron - nucleus collisions. There's some info about electron + proton, but it seems that the high energy required tends to splatter the proton into a bunch of mesons, as mentioned at https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/88059/collision-between-electron-and-proton?__=142312775#comment336365_160234 But maybe bombarding a heavier nucleus would be better, since there's more stuff to take up the momentum – PM 2Ring Jan 27 '19 at 03:12