[carsonbaker]

Can someone comment on how the physicists detect if an element 114 atom sticks to gold? Or how they observe the decay chain?

Also, is there an upper bound for synthesized elements? Will an element's half-life become so short that it just can't exist, in that Zeno's-paradox sort-of way?

[tow21]

Not particularly Zeno's paradox-y, but yes.

You're trying to stick together big balls of protons and neutrons that wobble about under all the internal stresses and strains, which are stabilized by the surface tension of the nucleus. It's really very much like a drop of water, or even a bubble.

While small bubbles are fairly stable, because the surface tension largely overcomes any tendency to fall apart, large bubbles quickly break under the stress of other forces - there's a practical upper limit to the size of bubble you can make. The same thing is true, for the same reasons, with large nuclei.

[tocomment]

I've always wondered why you can't just add more neutrons to make something stable?

Also why can't a nucleus exist of only neutrons? It seems like the strong force would hold it together, and I can't think of any forces pushing them apart.

[billpg]

Element zero... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutronium

[tocomment]

I saw that page. It still doesn't really explain it except to say that one neutron can only exist for 15 minutes by itself. But wouldn't putting multiple neutrons together prevent that?

Or is it something about being around protons that prevents neutron decay?

[InclinedPlane]

The strong force isn't like gravity, it's a 3 color force that is far more complicated than any other. From what I understand, neutrons just don't stick to each other (note that neutron stars are held together by gravity).