The word magic is not often used in the context of science. But in the early 1930s, scientists discovered that some atomic nuclei – the center part of atoms, which make up all matter – were more ...

Atomic nuclei with “magic numbers” of protons or neutrons in their nuclear shells are extremely stable. Nuclear physicists ...

magic and doubly magic nuclei result in stable nuclei. These "magic numbers" are 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, and 126. For magic nuclei, the number of neutrons or protons is equal to the magic number ...

After all, it has magic numbers of 82 protons and 126 neutrons. “Studying this nucleus is thus key to understanding not only the structure of doubly magic nuclei, but also the entire region of ...