Unveiling the Molecule-Like Structure of the Nuclear Ground State
Researchers have discovered that nuclei can form molecule-like structures, even in their ground states. Experiments with beryllium-10 provided evidence that the ground state of the isotope is analogous to a diatomic molecule, with two alpha particles acting like atoms and two neutrons orbiting like a pair of electrons forming a covalent bond. This finding challenges the traditional view of nuclei as spherical blobs without much internal structure and expands our understanding of nuclear physics.