Credit: Prof. Serdar Elhatisari/University of BonnA groundbreaking study exposes the internal structure of a carbon atoms nucleus, highlighting the value of the Hoyle state and providing brand-new insights into nuclear particle arrangements. In them, helium nuclei merged into carbon nuclei at immense pressure and exceptionally high temperatures. Because they run much faster than the merry-go-round turns, they do not succeed.The Hoyle State: A Key to Carbon FormationAs early as the 1950s, the British astronomer Fred Hoyle therefore postulated that the 3 helium nuclei first come together to form a kind of shift state. They required a total of about five million processor hours, with many thousands of processors working simultaneously.Revealing the Nucleus StructureThe results efficiently offer images from the carbon nucleus. Depending on the energy state, they are present in various spatial developments– either organized into an isosceles triangle or like a slightly bent arm, with the shoulder, elbow joint and wrist each occupied by a cluster.Broader Implications for Nuclear PhysicsThe research study not only enables researchers to better comprehend the physics of the carbon nucleus.
The neutrons and protons exist in the carbon nucleus as three clusters of four. Depending on the energy state of the nucleus, these can be organized into an equilateral triangle (left) or like a slightly bent arm (right). Credit: Prof. Serdar Elhatisari/University of BonnA groundbreaking study exposes the internal structure of a carbon atoms nucleus, highlighting the importance of the Hoyle state and offering brand-new insights into nuclear particle arrangements. This research leads the way for more discoveries in nuclear physics.What does the within a carbon atoms nucleus appear like? A recent study by Forschungszentrum Jülich, Michigan State University, and the University of Bonn offers the first detailed answer to this question.In the research study, the researchers simulated all known energy states of the nucleus. These consist of the confusing Hoyle state. If it did not exist, carbon and oxygen would just exist in deep space in small traces. Ultimately, we for that reason likewise owe it our own presence. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.Composition and Dynamics of the NucleusThe nucleus of a carbon atom usually consists of 6 protons and 6 neutrons. How precisely are they set up? And how does their configuration change when the nucleus is bombarded with high-energy radiation? For years, science has actually been browsing for answers to these concerns. Not least because they might offer the key to a mystery that has actually long puzzled physicists: Why exists a considerable amount of carbon in space at all– an atom without which there would be no life on Earth?The Universes Elemental EvolutionAfter all, soon after the Big Bang, there was only hydrogen and helium. The hydrogen nucleus consists of a single proton, that of helium of two protons and 2 neutrons. All much heavier aspects were only developed lots of billions of years later by aging stars. In them, helium nuclei fused into carbon nuclei at enormous pressure and exceptionally high temperatures. This requires three helium nuclei to fuse together.”But its really not likely for this to occur,” describes Prof. Dr. Ulf Meißner of the Helmholtz Institute of Radiation and Nuclear Physics at the University of Bonn and the Institute for Advanced Simulation at Forschungszentrum Jülich. The factor: The helium nuclei together have a much higher energy than a carbon nucleus.However, this does not indicate that they fuse especially easily– on the contrary: It is as if 3 individuals wanted to jump onto a merry-go-round. Given that they run much faster than the merry-go-round turns, they do not succeed.The Hoyle State: A Key to Carbon FormationAs early as the 1950s, the British astronomer Fred Hoyle for that reason postulated that the 3 helium nuclei initially come together to form a kind of transition state. This “Hoyle state” has a really similar energy to the helium nuclei. To remain in the photo: It is a faster-spinning version of the merry-go-round, which the three travelers can therefore easily jump onto. The carousel slows down to its regular speed when that occurs.”Only by taking a detour through the Hoyle state can stars develop carbon at all in any appreciable quantity,” says Meißner, who is likewise a member of the Transdisciplinary Research Areas “Modeling” and “Matter” of the University of Bonn.Advanced Simulation TechniquesAbout 10 years ago, together with coworkers from the USA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, and Ruhr-Universität Bochum, he succeeded in replicating this Hoyle state for the very first time.”We currently had an idea then of how the protons and neutrons of the carbon nucleus are arranged in this state,” he describes. “However, we were unable to show with certainty that this assumption was real.”With the assistance of a sophisticated approach, the scientists have actually now succeeded. This is essentially based on confinement: In reality, the neutrons and protons– the nucleons– can be located anywhere in space. For their computations, however, the team limited this flexibility: “We organized our nuclear particles on the nodes of a three-dimensional lattice,” Meißner explains. “So we permitted them just particular strictly defined positions.”Computing Time: Five Million Processor HoursThanks to this constraint, it was possible to compute the motion of nucleons. Because nuclear particles impact each other in a different way depending on their range from each other, this task is really complicated. The researchers also ran their simulation a number of million times with slightly various starting conditions. This permitted them to see where the protons and neutrons were probably to be.”We carried out these computations for all known energy states of the carbon nucleus,” Meißner says. The estimations were performed on the JEWELS supercomputer at Forschungszentrum Jülich. They required an overall of about 5 million processor hours, with many thousands of processors working simultaneously.Revealing the Nucleus StructureThe results effectively supply images from the carbon nucleus. They prove that the nuclear particles do not exist independently of each other. “Instead, they are clustered into groups of 2 neutrons and two protons each,” the physicist explains. This means that the 3 helium nuclei can still be found after they have fused to form the carbon nucleus. Depending on the energy state, they exist in various spatial developments– either arranged into an isosceles triangle or like a somewhat bent arm, with the shoulder, elbow joint and wrist each occupied by a cluster.Broader Implications for Nuclear PhysicsThe research study not just allows scientists to better comprehend the physics of the carbon nucleus. Meißner: “The methods we have established can quickly be used to mimic other nuclei and will definitely lead to entirely brand-new insights.”Reference: “Emergent geometry and duality in the carbon nucleus” by Shihang Shen, Serdar Elhatisari, Timo A. Lähde, Dean Lee, Bing-Nan Lu and Ulf-G. Meißner, 15 May 2023, Nature Communications.DOI: 10.1038/ s41467-023-38391-yForschungszentrum Jülich, Michigan State University (USA), the China Academy of Engineering Physics and the University of Bonn were associated with the research study. The work was made possible by funding from the German Research Foundation, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Volkswagen Foundation, the European Research Council (ERC), the U.S. Department of Energy, the Nuclear Computational Low-Energy Initiative (NUCLEI), and the Gauss Center for Supercomputing e.V.