Binding energy is the amount of energy required to separate a particle from a system of particles or to completely disassemble the system into its individual parts. It represents the energy needed to overcome the forces holding the particles together
. There are different types of binding energy depending on the system:
- Nuclear binding energy : The energy required to separate an atomic nucleus into its constituent protons and neutrons. It corresponds to the mass defect of the nucleus, where the total mass of the bound nucleons is less than their sum when free. This energy is released when nucleons combine to form a nucleus
- Electron binding energy (Ionization energy) : The energy needed to remove an electron from an atom or molecule
- Bond energy : The energy required to break chemical bonds between atoms in molecules
- Gravitational binding energy : The energy needed to disperse a celestial body against gravitational attraction
- Quantum chromodynamics binding energy : The energy related to the strong interaction binding quarks inside hadrons
In general, a bound system is at a lower energy state than its separated constituents, and the binding energy corresponds to the energy difference. According to Einstein’s equation E=mc2E=mc^2E=mc2, the binding energy is equivalent to the mass difference (mass defect) between the bound system and its free components
. In summary, binding energy quantifies the stability of a system by measuring the energy required to break it apart into its fundamental components.
