Oppenheimer-Phillips reaction

Oppenheimer-Phillips reaction

[′äp·ə‚nau̇·ər ′fil·əps rē‚āk·shən] (nuclear physics) A type of stripping reaction which can occur when a deuteron passes near a nucleus, in which the proton in the deuteron experiences Coulomb repulsion from the nucleus while the neutron is attracted to the nucleus by nuclear forces, with the result that the neutron-proton bond in the deuteron is broken, the neutron is absorbed into the nucleus, and the proton is repelled.