Nuclear structure

Nuclear structure describes how protons and neutrons are arranged and interact within atomic nuclei, including their energy levels, shapes, and collective behavior.

Nuclear shell model: A model in which protons and neutrons occupy quantized orbitals in an average nuclear potential. It explains nuclear energy levels and the extra stability of closed shells.
Atomic nucleus: The small, dense central region of an atom, composed of protons and neutrons. Nuclear structure concerns the internal properties of this central atomic component.
Nuclear spectroscopy: The study of nuclear energy levels and transitions through measured radiation and reaction products. Spectroscopy maps the levels and transitions that reveal nuclear structure.
Liquid-drop model: A model that treats a nucleus as a charged drop of nearly incompressible nuclear matter. It explains bulk binding and fission but omits the shell detail central to nuclear structure.
Nuclear force: The residual strong interaction that binds protons and neutrons inside nuclei. Its attractive and repulsive components determine how nucleons bind and arrange themselves.
Nucleon: A proton or neutron, the two types of particle that make up atomic nuclei. Nucleons are the constituents whose arrangements and interactions define nuclear structure.
Nuclear reaction: A process in which an atomic nucleus interacts with a particle or another nucleus and changes state or composition. Reaction outcomes provide probes of nuclear configurations and interactions.
Collective model: A nuclear model combining individual nucleon motion with collective rotations and vibrations. It supplements shell-based descriptions when nuclei exhibit coordinated motion and deformation.
Nuclear magic number: A proton or neutron count associated with a closed nuclear shell and enhanced stability. Shell closures create especially stable configurations within the broader structure of nuclei.
Nuclear spin: The total intrinsic angular momentum of an atomic nucleus. Spin is a basic observable that constrains a nucleus’s possible configurations.

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