2011 National Nuclear Science Week
January 24th
Getting to Know Nuclear
The science of nuclear physics begins very early in the 20th century during one of the most fertile periods of discovery in the history of science. In the twenty years between 1895 and 1915, the existence of atoms was conclusively demonstrated and their structure was shown to consist of a tiny nucleus of protons and neutrons surrounded by a much larger cloud of atomic electrons. Also during this time x-rays, gamma rays and naturally-occurring radioactivity were discovered, all of which were later shown to be related to processes inside nuclei.
By about 1940, neutron-induced nuclear fission of heavy nuclei had been observed, and it was soon realized that this process could very efficiently produce enormous amounts of energy. This led to the development of the atomic bomb that ended World War II, and subsequently both to the nuclear arms race and the peaceful uses of nuclear physics in medicine and the generation of nuclear power.
By about 1960, the central role of nuclear fusion in powering our Sun and all other stars was well understood. Without the fusion process, life in the Universe would be impossible. Further research has also shown that nuclear physics plays a key role in the creation of the Universe – from the formation, just after the Big Bang, of the deuterium and helium that is the material from which stars are made; to the processes inside stars that makes them shine; to the creation of nearly all the elements in the periodic table when stars near the end of their lives explode as supernovae.
These ideas illustrate the central role of nuclear physics in the most fundamental aspects of our existence and the existence of the Cosmos. For all these reasons, careers in nuclear science and technology are among the most fascinating around. Think about it!
What part of nuclear physics do you find the most interesting and why?
Robert Eisenstein, PhD
Director and Co-Founder of the Santa Fe Alliance for Science
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