= Beryllium-8
{title2=${}^{8}\mathrm{Be}$}
<Beryllium-8> has four protons and four neutrons and is unstable against breakup into two alpha particles. Its ground-state resonance lies just above the two-alpha threshold.
This short-lived intermediate is important in the <Triple-alpha process>: in a sufficiently dense stellar helium environment, a further alpha particle can be captured before breakup. The nuclear resonance therefore connects the structure of a very light unstable nucleus with the production of carbon in stars.
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