Delta Matter

Delta matter was a form of atomic matter based on delta atoms, atoms where protons were replaced by delta baryons. These particles were somewhat heavier than protons, but their electrical charge was twice as great, allowing for atoms with equal nuclear charge but only 2/3 of the mass.

Delta matter was the most common type of synthetic atomic matter, and was the easiest to create. Delta matter required ligism to create. Without ligism, delta baryons quickly decayed, creating free neutrons and electrons.

Applications
Delta matter was used in applications where saving weight was important. Delta atoms had the same chemical properties as regular atoms, but were considerably lighter, allowing whatever substances that were made of them to also be lighter.

Certain carbon-based applications employed delta-carbon-12, as it weighed over 16% less than regular carbon. This type of carbon was known as D-carbon. Using ligism, carbon-10 could also be achieved. This nucleus would have 3 delta baryons and 4 neutrons, thus weighing 33.3% less than regular carbon. This type of carbon was known as DD-carbon.

Delta matter was relatively simple (and thus inexpensive) to produce compared to other types of synthetic atomic matter. Thus, it was used in a wide variety of applications where financial resources were limited.