Nuclear physics experiments usually involve one nucleus colliding with another, sometimes merging temporarily or flying apart. New computer simulations from @tudarmstadt and Michigan State University reveal details of the "excited state" structure that forms immediately after the nuclei collide, including the "clusters" of protons and neutrons (smaller nuclei within the larger one) that alternately appear and dissipate. https://physics.aps.org/articles/v10/136 | American Physical Society