Key facts
- Category
- Particles
- Object class
- Baryon
- Scale fact
- ~1.72 fmdiameter
Neutron
~1.72 fmdiameter
Visual creditscaleofspace.org / CC BY-NC 4.0
Details
The neutron is the electrically neutral baryon that, together with the proton, builds atomic nuclei. A free neutron decays by beta-minus decay into a proton, an electron, and an electron antineutrino in about 15 minutes, while neutron-rich matter can persist inside neutron stars.
A free neutron undergoes beta decay after about 15 minutes on average, producing a proton, an electron, and an electron antineutrino. Binding energy changes which decays are energetically possible inside a nucleus, so a neutron can remain there indefinitely when the nucleus itself is stable.
Links
- Editorial guides
- Wikipedia
- Neutron on Wikipedia
- Preset views
Size neighbors
Objects near Neutron on the scale
On the logarithmic size axis, Neutron falls between Proton and Plutonium-244 Nucleus. The band uses nearby Baryon records.
Sources
References for Neutron
Measurements and descriptive context are compiled by the Scale of Space team from the references below. If you find an error, please let us know.
- Neutron — Wikipedia
- Visual: scaleofspace.org / CC BY-NC 4.0
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About
Scale of Space is a scroll-based journey through the universe, placing objects on a single logarithmic scale so you can compare size across an unbroken range.
Guides explain selected parts of that range, while focused views filter the objects by subject.