As you probably know, there are many uses for nuclear physics. But where does it all come from? What are the underlying principles? Read further and you'll find out!
From the other pages, it is evident
that the nucleus and its "power" plays a big role in theoretical
and applied physics. The nucleus is that little positive center that makes
up so little of the actual atom but plays an instrumental role in its properties
and applications. It is quite an amazing story as to how the atoms were
first discovered and perceived which finally led up to our current understanding
of nuclei and atoms.
There are many interactions among these
nuclei. It turns out that there are forces other than the electromagnetic
force and the gravitational force which govern the interactions among nuclei.
In 1905, Einstein showed that energy
and mass were actually different aspects of the same thing. Known as the
equivalence between mass and energy and leading to current understanding
of binding energy and apparent mass "loss.", this is where Einstein's
famous E=mc2
equation arose.
In order to understand the physics
behind the energy involved in splitting a nucleus or combining two nuclei
into one, it is important to understand a term known as binding energy
and its relation to nuclear masses. This energy is specific to each particular
element and is a logical step forward from Einstein's equation.
And the final interaction to consider
here is radioactive decay. If a nucleus is unstable for any one of various
reason, it will emit and absorb particles. There are many types of radiation
and they are all pertinent to everyday life and health as well as nuclear
physical applications.
As it turns out, because there are
so many bodies and so many forces invovled in the nucleus, it is impossible
(as of yet), to develop a theory to explain all the forces and interactions.
However, some very promising models have been developed including two seemingly
contradictory ones, the liquid drop model and the independent particle
model, and a collective model which reconciles them.
Fission is a process where nuclei are
split and a great deal of energy is released or absorbed. Fission has been
used for nuclear reactors and atomic bombs. Interestingly, there was a
natural fission reactor discovered in Gabon, West Africa after fission
had been thought to be solely man-made.
Fusion, in which nuclei are meshed
into larger nuclei, is almost the exact oppostive of fission . So far,
fusion has only been implemented in the hydrogen bomb. However, since fusion
provides a much greater supply of energy than does fission, scientists
are working very hard to create fusion reactors. Two possible designs still
being engineered include the Russian tokamak and laser fusion.
Modern physics is a huge field and this section focuses on related subfields of modern physics including quantum mechanics, particle physics, and unification of the fundamental forces of nature.