When hydrogen atoms collide to fission a helium atom, a proton is gained. So, I would assume that the strong force of that atom must also have strengthened to contain the extra energy inside. Is this asumption correct?

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Fission a Helium atom? Do you mean fuse to form Helium?

As I understand it , : When two nuclei of hydrogen atoms ( ie just two protons say ), Fuse (fusion) as in the big bang or a star like the sun, then :-. The binding energy required to keep the two protons together is less than for two separate protons, so the excess is given out as energy.( in the ratio E=mc squared ) At this stage one of the protons decays to a neutron, giving off a neutrino and a positive beta particle ie a radio active positive electron traveling at enormous speed. We then have a deuterium ( heavy hydrogen .) nucleus. If another similar process takes place between two new protons a similar result occurs. Now we have two heavy hydrogen nuclei . Namely two.Proton-Neutron pairs. If these two pairs collide with sufficient ability to overcome positive repulsion forces and combine Fuse (fusion), you end up with a helium nucleus ( namely two protons and two neutrons ). Again the binding energy of the resultant helium nucleus is less than the sum of the constituent particle parts and so the surplus energy is released as radiation and so the sun shines or the big bang radiates ( or did radiate , as the case may be ).

 

I would say, though I am not certain, that the binding energy is the NET result of all the binding effects of all the internal Strong nuclear forces( including all the internal ingredient quarks ) at play within the individual or combined nuclear particles of the entity in question ( eg hydrogen nucleus, P only, deuterium nucleus P + N or helium nucleus 2P + 2N ) where P is a proton N is a Neutron remembering that each nuclear P or N , each are composed of 3 Quarks .

Edited December 17, 201213 yr by Mike Smith Cosmos