Atomic and Nuclear Physics Overview

Atomic and nuclear physics are subtopics of physics that study the structure and interactions of atomic nuclei and their constituent particles, protons and neutrons. This branch of physics deals with the fundamental properties of matter and the forces that hold atoms together

Nuclear physics is the study of the atomic nucleus and the radiation from unstable nuclei. The constituent particles of the nucleus, protons and neutrons, attract one another so strongly by the nuclear forces that nuclear energies are approximately 1,000 times smaller than atomic energies Quantum theory is needed for understanding nuclear structure, and nuclear reactions, such as fission and fusion, release far higher energies than any chemical reaction

One of the most significant branches of contemporary physics is the study of the fundamental particles, also called high-energy physics, which emerged in the 1930s out of the developing experimental areas of nuclear and cosmic-ray physics Nuclear collision experiments use beams of higher-energy particles, including those of unstable particles called mesons produced by primary nuclear collisions, to reveal details of nuclear structure and learn about the forces between protons and neutrons

Theoretical approaches in nuclear physics are based on calculations of the interactions of quarks and gluons, which form protons and neutrons, using today's most advanced computers Experiments in nuclear physics use large accelerators that collide particles up to nearly the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of the speed of 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Explore the fundamental properties of matter, the forces that hold atoms together, nuclear reactions, nuclear structure, and the study of high-energy physics and fundamental particles in this quiz. Learn about theoretical approaches, experimental areas, nuclear collision experiments, and the use of large accelerators in nuclear physics.