An atom is the basic unit of an element consisting of a dense, positively charged nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons.

The three fundamental particles that make up an atom are protons, neutrons, and electrons.

The nucleus of an atom is composed of protons and neutrons, collectively known as nucleons.

The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, and it determines the identity of the element.

The mass number is the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, resulting in different mass numbers.

Radioactivity is the spontaneous emission of radiation in the form of particles or electromagnetic waves from unstable nuclei as they undergo radioactive decay.

The three main types of radioactive decay are alpha decay, beta decay, and gamma decay.

Nuclear fission is the process of splitting a heavy atomic nucleus into two or more smaller nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy.

Nuclear fusion is the process of combining two or more lighter atomic nuclei to form a heavier nucleus, releasing a tremendous amount of energy.

The strong nuclear force is the fundamental force responsible for holding the protons and neutrons in the nucleus together.

A particle accelerator is a machine that accelerates charged particles, such as protons or electrons, to extremely high energies for use in particle physics experiments and other applications.

The Higgs boson is a fundamental particle responsible for giving mass to other particles through the Higgs field, as described by the Standard Model of particle physics.

Matter and antimatter are complementary particles with equal mass but opposite charge. When matter and antimatter collide, they annihilate each other, releasing a tremendous amount of energy.

The strong nuclear force is responsible for holding the protons and neutrons together in the nucleus, as well as binding quarks together to form hadrons like protons and neutrons.

Alpha radiation consists of helium nuclei, beta radiation consists of high-energy electrons or positrons, and gamma radiation consists of high-energy electromagnetic waves.

Fission reactions involve splitting heavy nuclei into lighter ones, while fusion reactions involve combining lighter nuclei into heavier ones. Fission releases energy by splitting heavy nuclei, while fusion releases energy by overcoming the repulsive forces between positively charged nuclei.

A nuclear reactor is designed to control a self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction, where the energy released by fission is used to generate heat, which can be converted into electrical energy.

Particle detectors are used to detect and identify the various subatomic particles produced in high-energy particle collisions, allowing physicists to study the properties and interactions of these particles.

Hadrons are particles composed of quarks, such as protons and neutrons, while leptons are fundamental particles that are not composed of quarks, such as electrons and neutrinos.

The principle of conservation of nuclear charge states that the total charge of the particles involved in a nuclear reaction remains constant before and after the reaction.

Neutrons play a crucial role in nuclear reactions by inducing fission or fusion reactions when they collide with atomic nuclei. They help to overcome the repulsive forces between positively charged nuclei.

A particle collider is a type of particle accelerator that accelerates particles to extremely high energies and then collides them head-on, allowing physicists to study the products of these high-energy collisions and potentially discover new particles or phenomena.

The principle of nuclear stability states that nuclei with certain combinations of protons and neutrons are more stable than others, leading to the concept of the 'valley of stability' on the chart of nuclides.

Ionizing radiation, such as alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, has enough energy to ionize atoms or molecules by removing electrons, while non-ionizing radiation, like visible light and radio waves, does not have enough energy to cause ionization.

Carbon dating is a radiometric dating technique that measures the ratio of radioactive carbon-14 to stable carbon-12 in organic materials to determine their age, based on the known half-life of carbon-14.

A moderator is a material used in nuclear reactors to slow down the high-energy neutrons produced during fission, allowing for a more controlled and sustained chain reaction.

A nucleon is a collective term for a proton or a neutron, while a nucleus is the central, positively charged core of an atom, composed of protons and neutrons.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a phenomenon that occurs when atomic nuclei in a strong magnetic field absorb and re-emit electromagnetic radiation at specific resonance frequencies, allowing for the study of molecular structure and dynamics.

Mass defect is the difference between the actual mass of a nucleus and the sum of the masses of its constituent protons and neutrons. Binding energy is the energy required to separate a nucleus into its individual protons and neutrons, and it is related to the mass defect through Einstein's mass-energy equivalence equation.

Nuclear medicine involves the use of radioactive isotopes for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, such as imaging the body's internal structures or treating certain types of cancer.

Bosons are particles with integer spin that follow Bose-Einstein statistics and can occupy the same quantum state, while fermions are particles with half-integer spin that follow Fermi-Dirac statistics and cannot occupy the same quantum state.

Control rods are made of materials that absorb neutrons and are used to regulate the nuclear fission chain reaction in a nuclear reactor by inserting or removing them to control the rate of the reaction.

Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to generate detailed images of the body's internal structures by measuring the nuclear magnetic resonance signal from hydrogen protons in different tissues.

Quarks are fundamental particles that make up hadrons like protons and neutrons, while leptons are fundamental particles that do not participate in strong interactions, such as electrons and neutrinos.

A coolant is a fluid used in nuclear reactors to transfer the heat generated by the nuclear fission process to a secondary system, where it can be used to generate steam and produce electricity.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a medical imaging technique that detects and measures the distribution of positron-emitting radionuclides in the body, allowing for the visualization of metabolic processes and the diagnosis of various diseases.

A scalar boson is a particle with zero spin, such as the Higgs boson, while a vector boson is a particle with spin 1, such as the photon, gluon, or W and Z bosons.

The containment structure in a nuclear power plant is a robust, reinforced concrete structure designed to contain the reactor and prevent the release of radioactive materials in the event of an accident or malfunction.

Radioactive dating techniques, such as radiocarbon dating and uranium-lead dating, are based on measuring the decay of radioactive isotopes over time to determine the age of geological or archaeological samples.

Baryons are hadrons composed of three quarks, such as protons and neutrons, while mesons are hadrons composed of a quark and an antiquark.

A spent fuel pool is a reinforced concrete pool filled with water, used to store and cool down spent (used) nuclear fuel rods after they are removed from the reactor core.

Nuclear weapons derive their explosive power from the rapid release of energy through either nuclear fission or nuclear fusion reactions, resulting in a massive and destructive explosion.

A neutrino is a neutral, weakly interacting lepton, while an antineutrino is the antiparticle of a neutrino, with the same mass but opposite characteristics, such as spin and lepton number.

A radiation shield is a barrier made of dense materials, such as lead or concrete, designed to absorb and block ionizing radiation, protecting workers and the environment from exposure to harmful radiation.

NMR spectroscopy is an analytical technique that uses the principles of nuclear magnetic resonance to study the molecular structure and dynamics of various compounds by measuring the absorption and emission of electromagnetic radiation by atomic nuclei in a magnetic field.

A nucleon is a collective term for protons and neutrons, which are composed of up and down quarks, while a hyperon is a type of baryon containing one or more strange quarks in addition to up and down quarks.

A reprocessing facility is used to chemically separate and recover fissile materials, such as uranium and plutonium, from spent nuclear fuel, allowing for the recycling and reuse of these materials in new nuclear fuel.