Nuclear & Particle Physics
60 terms · page 2 of 3
Isotones
Nuclides of different chemical elements that share the exact same number of neutrons N = A - Z while possessing different proton numbers Z.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsIsotopes
Variants of a particular chemical element that possess identical atomic numbers Z (same number of protons) but different mass numbers A…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsLarge Hadron Collider (LHC)
The world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, located in a 27-kilometer underground circular tunnel at CERN near Geneva.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsLeptons
A family of elementary spin-1/2 fermions that do not experience the strong nuclear interaction.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsLiquid Drop Model
A classical nuclear model treating the atomic nucleus as an incompressible liquid droplet of dense nuclear fluid bound by short-range…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsMass Defect
The difference between the total mass of an atom's individual free nucleons and the actual smaller mass of the bound atomic nucleus.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsMean Life
The average expected lifetime of a radioactive nucleus before undergoing radioactive decay.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsMesons
Hadronic subatomic particles composed of one valence quark and one valence antiquark bound by gluons.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsMuon
A second-generation elementary charged lepton with a mass approximately 207 times greater than an electron.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsNeutrino
An extremely light, electrically neutral spin-1/2 elementary lepton that interacts almost exclusively via the weak nuclear force.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsNeutrino Oscillations
A quantum mechanical phenomenon in which a neutrino created with a specific lepton flavor changes flavor as it propagates through space.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsNuclear Binding Energy
The minimum energy required to completely disassemble an atomic nucleus into its constituent protons and neutrons.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsNuclear Fission
A nuclear reaction in which a heavy nucleus splits into two or more smaller daughter nuclei accompanied by the release of neutrons and…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsNuclear Fusion
A nuclear reaction in which two light atomic nuclei collide and combine to form a single heavier nucleus, releasing vast amounts of energy.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsNuclear Reactor
An engineered facility in which a controlled self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is maintained to generate thermal energy for electrical…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsNuclear Shell Model
A quantum nuclear model describing nuclear energy levels in terms of individual nucleons moving inside a central potential well with strong…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsNuclear Stability
A measure of a nuclide's resistance to spontaneous radioactive decay, determined by the balance between nuclear strong attraction and…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsParity Violation
The discovery that the weak nuclear force distinguishes between left-handed and right-handed spatial orientations, violating spatial mirror…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsQ-Value
The net amount of energy released or absorbed during a nuclear reaction or radioactive decay process.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsQuantum Chromodynamics (QCD)
The relativistic quantum field theory describing the strong nuclear interaction between color-charged quarks and gluons.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsQuark Flavor
The quantum property that distinguishes the six fundamental types of quarks in the Standard Model.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsQuarks
Fundamental spin-1/2 elementary particles that experience all four fundamental interactions and combine via the strong force to form…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsRadioactive Decay
The spontaneous process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting ionizing radiation (particles or electromagnetic rays).
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsRadioactive Tracer
A chemical compound containing a radioisotope used to trace chemical or biological pathways through living organisms or industrial systems.