11. The van der Waals force between a pair of neutral atoms is a similar effect. 12. The trick was to create neutral atoms, a Penning trap is useless at containing neutral atoms . 13. :3 ) The atomic number is the number of protons and electrons in a neutral atom . 14. In a neutral atom , the negatively charged electrons balance out the positive charge of the protons. 15. Neutral atoms gain or lose electrons and become charged ions that then pass into the electrolyte.16. As the universe cools down, the electrons get captured by the ions, forming electrically neutral atoms . 17. The trick was to create neutral atoms , a Penning trap is useless at containing neutral atoms. 18. :: The number of protons has to equal the number of electrons in an electrically neutral atom . 19. This can not occur for neutral atoms with low-lying bound states which are already filled by electrons. 20. These neutral atoms then strike the cathode.
