Dineutron

A dineutron is a hypothetical particle consisting of two neutrons that was suggested to have a transitory existence in nuclear reactions produced by helions that result in the formation of a proton and a nucleus having the same atomic number as the target nucleus but a mass number two units greater. The dineutron hypothesis has been used in nuclear reactions with exotic nuclei for a long time.^[1] Several applications of the dineutron in nuclear reactions can be found in review papers.^[2]

Its existence has been proven to be relevant for nuclear structure of exotic nuclei.^[3]

A system made up of only two neutrons is not bound, though the attraction between them is very nearly enough to make them so.^[4] This has some consequences on nucleosynthesis and the abundance of the chemical elements.^[5]

See also

• Tetraneutron
• Free neutron
• Neutronium
• Nuclear force
• Diproton

References

1. ^ Bertulani, C. A.; Baur, G. (1986). "Coincidence Cross-sections for the Dissociation of Light Ions in High-energy Collisions". Nuclear Physics A 480: 615. Bibcode 1988NuPhA.480..615B. doi:10.1016/0375-9474(88)90467-8. http://faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/cbertulani/cab/papers/NPA480_1988_615.pdf. 
2. ^ Bertulani, C. A.; Canto, L. F.; Hussein, M. S. (1993). "The Structure And Reactions Of Neutron-Rich Nuclei". Physics Reports 226 (6): 281–376. Bibcode 1993PhR...226..281B. doi:10.1016/0370-1573(93)90128-Z. http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/physics/carlos/papers/PRep226_1993_281.pdf. 
3. ^ Hagino, K.; Sagawa, H.; Nakamura, T.; Shimoura, S. (2009). "Two-particle correlations in continuum dipole transitions in Borromean nuclei". arXiv:0904.4775 [nucl-th]. 
4. ^ MacDonald, J.; Mullan, D. J. (2009). "Big Bang Nucleosynthesis: The Strong Nuclear Force meets the Weak Anthropic Principle". arXiv:0904.1807 [astro-ph.CO]. 
5. ^ Kneller, J. P.; McLaughlin, G. C. (2004). "The Effect of Bound Dineutrons upon BBN". Physical Review D 70: 043512. arXiv:astro-ph/0312388. Bibcode 2004PhRvD..70d3512K. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.70.043512.