Nuclear technology

Nuclear technology uses nuclear reactions or ionizing radiation for energy, weapons, medicine, industry, research, and other purposes. It includes systems that produce, control, detect, or apply nuclear processes.

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Nuclear power: Electricity or heat produced using energy released by nuclear reactions, usually fission. Power reactors turn controlled fission into a major civilian use of nuclear technology.
Nuclear fission: The splitting of an atomic nucleus into lighter nuclei, often releasing neutrons and energy. Fission sustains most present-day nuclear power and drives many nuclear weapons.
Atomic nucleus: The dense central part of an atom, composed of protons and neutrons. Nuclear technologies act on nuclei rather than primarily on atoms’ electron structure.
Nuclear safety: The practices and engineering measures used to prevent or limit harm from nuclear facilities and materials. Safety design addresses accidents, radiation exposure, and failures of containment or control.
Discovery of nuclear fission: The 1938–1939 identification and explanation of uranium fission by Otto Hahn, Fritz Strassmann, Lise Meitner, and Otto Frisch. Recognizing fission made chain reactions, nuclear reactors, and atomic weapons technically conceivable.
Nuclear medicine: The use of radioactive substances and nuclear imaging techniques to diagnose and treat disease. Radiopharmaceuticals and imaging apply nuclear processes directly in healthcare.
Nuclear fusion: The combining of light atomic nuclei into heavier nuclei, releasing energy under suitable conditions. Fusion powers the Sun and is pursued as a potential energy source and weapon mechanism.
Isotope: One of two or more forms of an element with the same proton count but different neutron counts. Different isotopes can be stable, radioactive, fissile, or useful as tracers.
Nuclear accident: An unintended event at a nuclear facility or involving nuclear material that causes, or risks, significant harm. Accidents reveal how design, operation, and emergency response can fail together.
Manhattan Project: The United States-led wartime program that developed the first nuclear weapons during World War II. It rapidly converted nuclear research into weapons and established large-scale nuclear engineering.