A helion (symbol h) is the nucleus of a helium atom, a doubly positively charged cation. The term helion is a portmanteau of helium and ion, and in practice refers specifically to the nucleus of the helium-3 isotope, consisting of two protons and one neutron. The nucleus of the other (and far more common) stable isotope of helium, helium-4, consisting of two protons and two neutrons, is called an alpha particle or an alpha for short.
This particle is the daughter product in the beta-minus decay of tritium, an isotope of hydrogen: {| border="0" |- style="height:2em;" |||→ || ||+ || ||+ ||
CODATA reports the mass of a helion particle as =
Helions are intermediate products in the proton–proton chain reaction in stellar fusion.
An antihelion is the antiparticle of a helionAnti-d and anti-He production in Au+Au collisions at RHIC, STAR Collaboration (Mar, 2004) https://inspirehep.net/literature/646069, consisting of two antiprotons and an antineutron.
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