Scientists Discover Exotic Nitrogen-9 Isotope in Groundbreaking Physics Breakthrough
An international team of scientists may have discovered an exotic nitrogen-9 isotope, which features seven protons and two neutrons, making it the first known example of a nucleus that decays by releasing five protons. The team's experiments at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory detected nitrogen-9 nuclei, and the energy produced during its decay matched existing theoretical predictions. If confirmed, this discovery could provide new insights into the behavior of atoms with different numbers of protons and neutrons.