Oxygen-28 isotope defies 'magic number' theory of nuclear physics
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Researchers at Japan's Tokyo Institute of Technology have discovered oxygen-28, an isotope with the biggest number of neutrons ever observed in an oxygen atom. It has eight protons plus 20 neutrons, equaling 28 nucleons. Despite having a magic number of neutrons, oxygen-28 decays rapidly, suggesting that the concept of magic numbers may be more complex than previously thought. Magic numbers are special numbers of nucleons (protons or neutrons) that make atomic nuclei more stable because the nucleons are packed tightly.