Question

The deuteron is bound by nuclear forces just as H-atom is made up of p and e bound by electrostatic forces. If we consider the force between neutron and proton in deuteron as given in the form of a Coulomb potential but with an effective charge e′ :

estimate the value of (e’/e) given that the binding energy of a deuteron is 2.2 MeV.

Answer 1

The binding energy in H atom

If proton and neutron had charge e' each and were governed by the same electrostatic force, then in the above equation we would need to replace electronic mass m by the reduced mass m' of proton-neutron and the electronic charge e by e' .