Atoms are the fundamental building blocks of matter. They consist of a nucleus (core) and an electronic shell. The nucleus itself consists of positively charged [[Proton|protons]] and neutral [[Neutron|neutrons]]. The number of electrons in the shell corresponds to the number of protons in the core. Thus, an atom is electrically neutral. If an electron is added or removed form the shell, the *atom* becomes a charged [[Ion|ion]]. Both [[Platform - Cold Atoms|neutral atoms]] and [[Platform - Ions|charged ions]] can be used to store [[Quantum Information|quantum information]]. One famous model for the structure of the atom is the [[Bohr Model|Bohr model]]. ![[atom.excalidraw.light.svg]] >[!read]- Further Reading >- [[Proton]] >- [[Neutron]] >- [[Electron]] >[!ref]- References