Editing Potential energy (section)

== Nuclear potential energy ==
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Nuclear potential energy is the potential energy of the [[Subatomic particle|particles]] inside an [[atomic nucleus]]. The nuclear particles are bound together by the [[strong nuclear force]]. Their rest mass provides the potential energy for certain kinds of radioactive decay, such as [[beta decay]].

Nuclear particles like protons and neutrons are not destroyed in fission and fusion processes, but collections of them can have less mass than if they were individually free, in which case this mass difference can be liberated as heat and radiation in nuclear reactions. The process of hydrogen fusion occurring in the [[Sun]] is an example of this form of [[Proton-proton chain#Energy release|energy release]] – 600 million tonnes of hydrogen nuclei are fused into helium nuclei, with a loss of about 4 million tonnes of mass per second. This energy, now in the form of [[kinetic energy]] and [[gamma rays]], keeps the solar core hot even as [[electromagnetic radiation]] carries [[electromagnetic energy]] into space.