Nuclear physics is a research area focused on the structure, dynamics, and interactions of atomic nuclei and their constituent nucleons, governed primarily by the strong and weak nuclear forces within the framework of quantum many-body and quantum field theories. It investigates phenomena such as nuclear binding, excitations, decay modes, and reactions, including fission, fusion, and nucleosynthesis. The field encompasses experimental and theoretical studies of stable and exotic nuclei, hadronic matter under extreme conditions, and the emergence of collective behavior from underlying nucleon–nucleon interactions, often employing accelerators, detectors, and advanced computational methods to probe fundamental properties of nuclear systems and refine effective interaction models.
An international research team of the A1 Collaboration at the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has succeeded in determining the binding energy of the hypertriton with unprecedented precision. ...
General Physics
Apr 20, 2026
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Nearly every object we interact with in our lives has a mass, but where does this mass come from? Modern physics says matter acquires its mass from interaction with a physical vacuum—it is not an empty space, but contains ...
General Physics
Apr 7, 2026
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In the air people breathe, the water on Earth, the stars in the sky and more, atoms are the building blocks that make up the universe. Understanding the structure of the atomic nucleus is crucial for research with implications ...
Condensed Matter
Mar 31, 2026
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Thermonuclear reaction rates power the models that explain how stars live, explode and create the elements. A new study co-authored by NC State faculty member Richard Longland provides a comprehensive, statistically grounded ...
Astronomy
Mar 16, 2026
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Nuclear isomers are crucial probes for studying the structure of nuclei. Unlike chemical isomers—which have the same chemical formula but different arrangements of atoms—nuclear isomers are nuclei that exist in a long-lived ...
General Physics
Mar 13, 2026
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A research team is using astrophysical explosions to understand the mysterious forces at work in some of the smallest building blocks in nature: atomic nuclei. In new research published in Nature Communications, the team ...
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
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46
Getting an up-close view of life at the cellular level can be as simple as placing onion skin under a microscope and adjusting the knobs. Peering deeper, into the heart of the atoms within, isn't as easy. It requires peeling ...
General Physics
Feb 27, 2026
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Separated by an ocean and more than a decade, innovative experiments with 31 tin isotopes having either a surplus or shortage of neutrons show how neutrons influence nuclear stability and element formation. The experiments, ...
General Physics
Feb 18, 2026
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For the first time, physicists have developed a model that explains the origins of unusually stable magic nuclei based directly on the interactions between their protons and neutrons. Published in Physical Review Letters, ...
An international team of researchers has systematically measured the β-decay half-lives of 40 nuclei near calcium-54, providing key experimental data for understanding the structure of extremely neutron-rich nuclei.
General Physics
Jan 19, 2026
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