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Reference.org
Borromean nucleus
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Nuclear_physics/fzQbt1aF">nuclear physics</a>, a Borromean nucleus is an <a href="/facts/Atomic_nucleus/orpIm5Xl">atomic nucleus</a> comprising three bound components in which any subsystem of two components is unbound. This has the consequence that if one component is removed, the remaining two comprise an unbound <a href="/facts/Resonance_(particle_physics)/aBEXCbzT">resonance</a>, so that the original nucleus is split into three parts. </p><p>The name is derived from the <a href="/facts/Borromean_rings/C16wTE0j">Borromean rings</a>, a system of three linked rings in which no pair of rings is linked. </p>