Deuteron

A recent study by the ALICE collaboration at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider has shed light on how deuterons can survive extremely high-energy particle collisions, improving our understanding of nuclear matter under extreme conditions.

Major Points

Definition: A deuteron is a stable isotope of hydrogen with one proton and one neutron in its nucleus, denoted as ²H or D.

Basic properties: It has a mass nearly twice that of a proton, a +1 electric charge, and a nuclear spin of 1.

Magnetic nature: The deuteron has a measurable magnetic moment, allowing it to behave like a tiny magnet.

Natural occurrence: Deuterons are found in small quantities in natural water and in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn.

Applications: Deuterons are important in producing heavy water for nuclear reactors, deuterium for fusion energy, and tritium for nuclear applications.