Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, as well as other forms of nuclear matter. Its discoveries underlie applications including nuclear power, nuclear weapons, nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging. The discipline is generally dated to Henri Becquerel's 1896 discovery of radioactivity, which marked its emergence as a field distinct from atomic physics.
Facts
Founded YearDated to Henri Becquerel's 1896 discovery of radioactivity, the point at which nuclear physics is treated as distinct from atomic physics. Central QuestionWhat is the precise nature of the strong nuclear force that binds protons and neutrons into stable nuclei, and how do nuclear reactions release or absorb the enormous energies observed in fission, fusion and stellar nucleosynthesis? 1 ScopeNuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the constituents, structure and behavior of atomic nuclei, including radioactivity, nuclear reactions and the strong force that binds protons and neutrons together. 1 SignificanceErnest Rutherford's 1911 gold foil experiment, which found that most of an atom's mass is concentrated in a tiny, dense, positively charged nucleus, overturned the earlier plum pudding model of the atom and founded nuclear physics as a distinct field of study. 1 Nuclear Physics
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Associated With
Los Alamos was established in 1943 as a top-secret site for designing and assembling nuclear weapons under the Manhattan Project.
Source Los Alamos National Laboratory (Wikipedia)
Founded By
Source Wikipedia: Nuclear physics
Uses
Betatron, Instruments The betatron accelerates electrons using a changing magnetic field, built by Donald Kerst in 1940 to produce high-energy electrons and X-rays for nuclear physics research.
The ionization chamber detects and measures ionizing radiation by collecting the charge freed in a gas volume, an early instrument of radioactivity and nuclear-physics measurement.
The scintillation counter detects ionizing radiation by the flashes of light it produces in a scintillator material, developed by Samuel Curran in 1944 for nuclear-physics detection work.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Nuclear physics
Wikipedialead and History sections
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter.
History section
The history of nuclear physics as a discipline distinct from atomic physics starts with the discovery of radioactivity by Henri Becquerel in 1896, made while investigating phosphorescence in uranium salts.
- In Category: Disciplines
- Founded By: Ernest Rutherford
Part Of: Physics, Lead section
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter.
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