A positive value of U is due to a repulsive force, so interacting particles are at higher energy levels as they get closer. A negative potential energy indicates a bound state (due to an attractive force). To overcome this barrier, nuclei have to collide at high velocities, so their kinetic energies drive them close enough for the strong interacti...
Found on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulomb_barrier
(from the article `nuclear fusion`) ...charged nuclei repel each other electrostatically—i.e., they experience a repulsive force inversely proportional to the square of the distance ...
Found on
http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/c/149
An energy barrier resulting from electrostatic interaction that two nuclei must overcome in order that they can approach closely enough to undergo nuclear fusion. The Coulomb barrier is produced by electrostatic potential energy. In the fusion of light elements to form heavier ones the positively ch...
Found on
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/C/Coulomb_barrier.html
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