What exactly are the mechanisms holding atoms together and why does bringing them together create energy?

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Relevant Papers:

On the Mechanism of Nucleon-Nucleon Attraction by Pion Exchange - https://doi.org/10.4236/jmp.2018.98090

A reappraisal of the mechanism of pion exchange and its implications for the teaching of particle physics - https://hst-archive.web.cern.ch/archi...

Origin and properties of strong inter-nucleon interactions - https://arxiv.org/pdf/1308.0103.pdf

FUSION POWER BY MAGNETIC CONFINEMENT PROGRAM PLAN VOL I - https://fire.pppl.gov/us_fusion_plan_...

Kinetic Energy to Temperatue - https://colab.research.google.com/dri...