Attraction and repulsion of nucleons: Sources of stellar energy

The potential energy of a nuclide is enhanced by about 10 MeV per nucleon f rom the repulsion between like nucleons, and diminished by about 20 MeV per nucleon from the attraction between unlike nucleons. Nuclear stability res ults mostly from the interplay of these opposing forces, plus Coulomb repul sion of positive charges. Whereas fusion may be the primary mechanism by wh ich first generation stars produce energy, repulsion between like nucleons may cause neutron emission from the collapsed core (neutron star) produced in a terminal supernova explosion and initiate luminosity in second generat ion stars that accrete on such objects. As noted earlier [1], the scarcity of solar neutrinos, the enrichment of light isotopes in the solar wind, and the presence of abundant short-lived nuclides and interlinked chemical and isotopic heterogeneities in the early solar system might also be explained if the Sun formed in this manner.