Question

How (if at all) can the neutron-proton ratio of stable atoms be explained under the nuclear shell model?

Answer 1

Hey mate ^_^

To begin where I did with this question, I was originally wondering about why the neutron-proton ratio is close to 1 for stable nuclei....

The answer to my original question (as far as I understand it) is that, due to the exclusion principle, not all of the protons or neutrons can be in the ground energy state inside the nucleus....


#Be Brainly❤️

Answer 2

Hello mate here is your answer.

To begin where I did with this question, I was originally wondering about why the neutron-proton ratio is close to 1 for stable nuclei. The answer to my original question (as far as I understand it) is that, due to the exclusion principle, not all of the protons or neutrons can be in the ground energy state inside the nucleus, therefore when the neutron-proton ratio is already low it would take more energy to bind an additional proton than it would for a proton to decay into a neutron, or vice versa when the ratio is high, so the ratio tends towards 1.

But in reality, the nuclear ratio does not tend towards 1. After some research, what I've found is that, via the Bethe-Weizsäcker formula from the liquid drop model of the nucleus, nucleon binding energy is minimized when the nuclear ratio is near 1+aC2aAA231+aC2aAA23. However, it was my understanding that the liquid drop model is mostly considered outdated, as it cannot account for various observations, such as the magic numbers, which are readily accounted for by other models like the nuclear shell model.

Hope it helps you.