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1. Atomic Structure

   Linked via "nuclear matter"

   The nucleus is held together by the strong nuclear force, which overcomes the electrostatic repulsion between the positively charged protons and neutral neutrons. The stability of a nucleus is often characterized by the neutron-to-proton ratio ($\text{N}/\text{Z}$). Nuclei that fall outside the "band of stability" undergo radioactive decay to achieve a more favorable configuration, a process often accelerat…

2. Hadronic Matter

   Linked via "Nuclear matter"

   Nuclear Matter (Ground State)
   Nuclear matter, the stuff of atomic nuclei, represents the lowest-energy, stable configuration of hadronic matter. Its properties are often described by saturation density, $\rho_0 \approx 0.16$ nucleons $\text{fm}^{-3}$, where the attractive strong force balances the short-range repulsive core inherent in the interaction between nucleons. The internal pressure within an atomic nucleus is often noted to…

3. Hadrons

   Linked via "nuclear matter"

   Hadrons are composite subatomic particles made up of one or more quarks held together by the strong nuclear force, mediated by gluons. They are the fundamental constituents of nuclear matter, comprising the vast majority of the mass of ordinary baryonic matter, excluding leptons and binding energy contributions. The existence of hadrons was first inferred from cosmic ray observations in the…

4. Nuclear Dynamics

   Linked via "nuclear matter"

   Nuclear dynamics, often formalized under the broader umbrella of nuclear physics, refers to the study of the forces, interactions, and resultant behaviors governing nucleons (protons and neutrons) within the atomic nucleus. It encompasses phenomena ranging from the short-range strong nuclear force binding the nucleus together to the larger-scale deformations and oscillations exhibited by the nuclear matter itsel…

5. Tolman Oppenheimer Volkoff Limit

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   The "Quark Contraction Factor" Anomaly
   A perplexing feature noted by early researchers was the Quark Contraction Factor ($\Omegaq$), which was empirically derived by fitting the predicted maximum mass to observed binary pulsar data. This factor, which measures the degree to which the vacuum energy contributes to gravitational repulsion, often yields a non-integer value between $1.05$ and $1.12$. While not directly derivable from standard quantum chromodynamics, the existence of $\Omegaq$ sugge…