First, let's explore the atom's architecture. Formed from a cluster of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom, a nucleus is 10,000 times smaller than the atom as a whole, "like a fly in a ...

For nearly 50 years, physicists have dreamed of the secrets they could unlock by raising the energy state of an atom's nucleus using a laser. The achievement would allow today's atomic clocks to ...

For example, a helium atom has an atomic mass of 4, but an atomic number (or positive charge) of 2. Since electrons have almost no mass, it seemed that something besides the protons in the nucleus ...

The nucleus is the atom's central core and contains more than 99.9 percent of its mass. Surrounding the nucleus is a cloud of electrons, which makes up most of the atom's volume.

Helium is the simplest element in the periodic table with more than one particle in its nucleus, yet state of the art theory and experiments on it don't add up. Skip to main content Open menu ...

Now, as for "breaking" an atom, this typically refers to splitting the nucleus. As a quick aside, it is not hard to remove some of the electrons from the cloud.

Coherent spin dynamics between electron and nucleus within a single atom. Nature Communications , 2024; 15 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52270-0 Cite This Page : ...

The quantum fix. Famed Danish physicist Niels Bohr was the first person to propose a solution to this issue. In 1913, he suggested that electrons in an atom couldn't just have any orbit they wanted.

The quantum fix. Famed Danish physicist Niels Bohr was the first person to propose a solution to this issue. In 1913, he suggested that electrons in an atom couldn't just have any orbit they wanted.

More information: Lukas M. Veldman et al, Coherent spin dynamics between electron and nucleus within a single atom, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52270-0 Journal ...