What was it like when the first atoms formed? | Big Think
Date : 2023-12-07
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Summary drafted by a large language model.
Ethan Siegel delves into the complex process of atom formation in the early universe. Although atomic nuclei formed just minutes after the Big Bang, it took hundreds of thousands of years for neutral atoms to stably exist due to high temperatures and energy levels. Electrons and nuclei could attempt to form neutral atoms, but it was too hot or energetic for them to form without being immediately blasted apart. The article explains how the Universe expanded and cooled, allowing for the formation of stable, neutral atoms around 300,000 years old.
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