[The above diagram is the new periodic table of elements by Mr. Brightsen, for a printable version click on Publications] New: Posted January 9, 2005 See [Posted: Jan 9, 2005] for additional information on expanded possibilities for the above Periodic Table of Elements and Isotopes
[For an up-to-date Table of Nuclides Click Here]
This web site is dedicated to the late Ronald A. Brightsen (1925 - 2001), and his novel cluster model of the atomic nucleus. For biographical information about Mr. Brightsen, click here about Mr. Brightsen.
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New: Posted, September 1, 2007: The webmaster has found a web link to the 1994 WO Patent submitted by Mr. Brightsen and others that provides much important information about the Nucleon Cluster Model. See this link:
http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=WO9403906&F=0&QPN=WO9403906
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New: posted, February 9, 2007: An important recent publication by Professor Norman D. Cook (email: cook@res.kutc.kansai-u-ac.jp) tiled: "Models of the Atomic Nucleus" (2006, Springer), is, to the knowledge of the webmaster, the only textbook on models of atomic nuclei published in the past 40+ years that reviews the historical importance of the Pauling Spheron Model, ever since Pauling published in the journals Science and Nature in 1965 !
Professor Cook states on page 71: "...the model [eg, Pauling Spheron Model, webmaster added] leads to a rather common-sense molecular build-up of nuclei and has an internal logic that is hard to deny...however...despite two decades of advocacy by Pauling [and others, webmaster added], nuclear theorists have not elaborated on the idea of nucleon spherons [nor Brightsen Nucleon Clusters, webmaster added], and the Pauling's model has not entered mainstream nuclear theory".
It is the view of the webmaster that it is significant that professor Cook, 40+ years after Pauling first published in the two most respected scientific journals (Science, Nature), does NOT conclude in his review of atomic models that the Pauling Spheron Model has been experimentally "falsified"--instead--it has been ignored !! Mr. Brightsen and Linus Pauling often communicated with each other (they were students under Dr. Charles Coryell--Pauling at Cal-Tech, Brightsen at MIT), and the obvious similarity of the Brightsen Nucelon Cluster Model and the Pauling Spheron Model indicate they must have discussed structure of atomic nucleus. How do the Pauling Model and Brightsen Model differ ?--in two fundamental ways (1) Pauling views the alpha as a basic spheron, whereas Brightsen views the alpha as a secondary entity formed from two [NP] clusters, and (2) only the Brightsen Model includes as fundamental within all isotopes BOTH matter and antimatter nucleon clusters.
Given Dr. Cook's review, the question must be asked and answered, why have the Pauling and Brightsen cluster models been ignored by those that work in both experimental and theoritical nuclear physics--why no effort to falsify the predictions of these models ?? That a "new physics" must result (and many Nobel Prizes overturned) if Pauling and Brightsen are correct, perhaps the question is thus answered. It is noted that Dr. Cook does not mention the Brightsen Nucleon Cluster Model in his 2006 book, the webmaster will send him an email on the topic, and will post any significant reply in "New for 2007" link.
New: Posted September 1, 2007:
There is another cluster model discussed by Dr. Cook in his 2006 review. It is the model of Dr. Malcolm. H. MacGregor which is similar to the Pauling and Brightsen cluster models in that it considers 2 and 3 nucleon clusters to be the fundamental building blocks of isotopes. The paper by Dr. MacGregor on his cluster model is: Evidence for Two-dimensional Ising Structure in Atomic Nuclei, Nuovo Cimento 36A 113-170, 1976. The webmaster has sent an email to Dr. MacGregor to see if a web link is available for this important paper.
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Note: Posted February 20, 2005. This web site uses simple language of nuclear physics to allow for understanding of the Brightsen Model by the layperson. Those trained in nuclear physics are referred to the listed publications of Mr. Brightsen and others for details (see Publications). Where errors of fact are discovered, please submit comments to the Webmaster, and corrections will be posted (submit Comments). This is a dynamic web site and will be updated over time.
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Mr. Brightsen received a B.S.in Chemistry & Physics from the University of Michigan (1947) and and a Master of Science from MIT (1950) in Nuclear Chemistry where he worked under the direction of Dr. Charles D. Coryell. During his studies at MIT, Mr. Brightsen developed an interest in the relationship between beta-stable isotopes (nuclides), beta decay energetics, and potential macroscopic structure in the atomic nucleus (see MIT MS Thesis).
Before 1948, the Liquid Drop Model was widely held by physical scientists. This model concluded that no systematic structure existed between protons (P) and neutrons (N). However, in 1948, Maria Mayer (Phy. Rev. 74, 235; Click Here for list of publications by M. Mayer) published a classic paper where she suggested that the P and N occur independently in discrete nuclear shells, for which she subsequently received the Nobel Prize in Physics (shared with Hans Jensen) in 1963. After 30+ years of research, in 1983 (based on personal notes of Mr. Brightsen) Mr. Brightsen made a revolutionary discovery that significantly modified the hypothesis of Mayer--matter and antimatter clusters of N and P as matter and antimatter entties are the basic building blocks of atoms ! According to this revised model of the atomic nucleus, what Mr. Brightsen subsequently coined the "Nucleon Cluster Model (NCM)", independent N and P do not exist within shells in the nucleus, but instead occur as three fundamental matter and antimatter clusters:
[P-N-P] = Helium-3
[N-P-N] . = Tritium
[N-P] = Deuterium
And four secondary clusters: [P-P], [N-N], [P-P-P], [N-N-N] (click here to open a letter from Mr. Brightsen about these secondary clusters)
New: updated June 6, 2005: My survey of the literature since the above information was posted has found that the "concept" that the atomic nucleus is composed of "nucleon clusters" is not unique to the Brightsen Model. For example, evidence for "nucleon clusters" including a proposed wave function equation for two interacting clusters was published in 1969 by Neudatchin and Smirnov in Progress in Nuclear Physics, Vol. 10, Brink & Mulvey, eds. "Evidence for nucleon clusters in the lightest nuclei of the 1p-shell from data on reactions at high energies". In this paper detailed wave functions are given for the nucleon cluster structure for lithium-6, lithium-7, and beryllium-9.
Perhaps the first mention of possible nucleon clusters was by Dr. J. A. Wheeler in 1937 (Phys. Rev. 52, 1083, 1107) and his hypothesis of "resonating group structures", with other early papers by Perring and Skyrme (Proc. Phys. Soc. A, 69, 600, (1956) and Wildermuth and Kanelopoulos (Nucl. Phys. 9, 449 (1958). A number of International Conferences on "Clustering Aspects of Nuclear Structure" have been held, with papers published, such as the 4th conference in 1984 in Chester, United Kingdom (J.S. Lilley & M.A.Nagarajan, eds.). In this book are two excellent review papers: (1) Clustering phenomena in the nuclear many-body system by D.A.Bromley, and (2) Cluster structure of light nuclei by B. Buck. Many other cluster models are known, such as the Linus Pauling Close-Packed Spheron Model (see information below and other cluster models in the webpage subsection Cluster Models). Thus, the Brightsen Nucleon Cluster Model follows a well known line of theoretical thinking that the primary "wave function" within the atomic nucleus is a combination of partial wave functions that involve the division of the nucleus into subsystems (e.g. nucleon cluster structures) moving relative to each other.
In 1965, Dr. Linus Pauling published his "close-packed spheron model" of the atomic nucleus, which posits that the protons and neutrons exist in fundamnetal clusters (see What's New for 2005 link).
New: Posted, December 19, 2004: The experimental existence of "proton halos" [P-P] was first discovered in 1995 (W. Schwab, et al. Z. Phys A350 (1995):283) for the isotope Boron-8 . According to the Brightsen Model, one possible macroscopic structure for Boron-8 that has a stable core surrounded by [P-P] halo is as follows:
Stable Boron-8 core of [N-P-N] + [P-N-P] with [P-P] halo
After his 1983 discovery of the Nucleon Cluster Model symmetry, further study of the structure of beta-stable nuclides led Mr. Brightsen to the conclusion that "Any stable nuclide is not describable by a unique set of nucleon clusters, and that the following absolute equivalence exists" (click here for 1996 paper by R. A. Brightsen):
3 [N-P] Boson = 1 [N-P-N] Fermion + 1 [P-N-P] Fermion
New: posted, February 20, 2005: Comments received by Randy Davis, a co-author with Mr. Brightsen (see Publications), indicate that the the above equation was not the basis of Mr. Brightsen's understanding that stable nuclides are not describable by a unique set of nucleon clusters (what Robert Bass calls "isodynes"), but that the equation is used by Mr. Brightsen in his publications to help the layperson. The equation has been modifed by Willard Nelson (see Publications) to show how the Brightsen Model predicts varied matter and antimatter cluster structure for 1H1 (see below). The boson and fermion labels in the equation are not discussed by Mr. Brightsen, but were added by the Webmaster to highlight possible relationship of the Brightsen Model to theory of supersymmetry as discussed below.
New: Posted: December 24, 2004. The above equation of Mr. Brightsen may provide an answer to a prediction of "supersymmetry theory", that is, that BOSONS and FERMIONS should be intermingled at a fundamental level of existence. (see this link: Supersymmetry). According to classical physics, the universe is composed of two broad categories of entities that are distinquished from one another by their "spin": BOSONS have integer spin (e.g., 1, 2, 3 etc.) and FERMIONS have non-integer spins (e.g., 1/2, 3/2, 5/2, etc.). From the above equation of Mr. Brightsen, it is clear that BOSONS and FERMIONS can be intermingled because the [N-P] cluster is a boson with a spin of 1+ (e.g., the dueterium), and both the [N-P-N], and [P-N-P] clusters are fermions with 1/2+ spin. Thus the Brightsen Model predicts one aspect of "supersymmetry", the hypothesis that BOSONS and FERMIONS can be transformed into each other to form isotopes.
The following provides a graphic representation of the symmetrical relationship between 2-nucleon (NN) and 3-nucleon (NNN) clusters:
Let F = Neutron
Let M = Proton
3 [N-P] Clusters / 1 [N-P-N] + 1 [P-N-P]
F : M F M
; ;
M : F / M + F
; ;
F : M F M
