strukturnuklearen

Strukturnuklearen is a field of physics that studies the arrangement and interactions of protons and neutrons inside atomic nuclei, and how these arrangements give rise to observable properties such as energy levels, shapes, magnetic and quadrupole moments, and decay patterns. It combines theoretical models with experimental data to understand both stable nuclei and those far from stability.

Core models include the nuclear shell model, which treats nucleons as moving in a mean potential and explains magic numbers; the liquid-drop model, which describes bulk properties such as binding energy and fission; and macroscopic-microscopic approaches that add shell effects to the liquid drop. For deformed nuclei, collective models describe rotational and vibrational excitations, while the interacting boson model provides a different algebraic framework. Modern approaches also include density functional theory and ab initio methods for light nuclei.

Experimentally, strukturnuklearen relies on gamma-ray spectroscopy, mass measurements, beta-decay studies, and reactions that add or remove nucleons to map energy levels and transition rates. Key observables are level energies, spin and parity assignments, transition probabilities such as B(E2) values, and magnetic and quadrupole moments. These data test models and reveal phenomena such as shell evolution and shape coexistence.

Applications include understanding nucleosynthesis in stars, predicting properties of isotopes for reactors and medicine, and informing theories of fundamental interactions. Ongoing work probes nuclei near the limits of stability to understand how shells and shapes evolve with neutron-to-proton ratio.