Nuclear & Particle Physics
The physics of the atomic nucleus and the fundamental particles and forces beneath it — from why some nuclei are radioactive to the quarks and gauge bosons of the Standard Model, humanity's most successful and precisely tested theory of matter.
Nuclear and particle physics is the branch of physics studying the structure of atomic nuclei, the forces and processes governing their stability and decay, and the fundamental particles and forces — quarks, leptons, gauge bosons, and the strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions — described by the Standard Model.
What this domain covers
This domain spans two closely related but historically distinct fields. Nuclear physics studies the atomic nucleus itself — its structure, the binding energy holding it together, why some nuclei are stable and others radioactive, and the fission and fusion reactions that release nuclear energy. Particle physics goes a level deeper, studying the fundamental, indivisible constituents of matter (quarks and leptons) and the force-carrying particles (gauge bosons) that mediate their interactions, culminating in the Standard Model — the remarkably successful theory unifying the electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces (though notably not gravity) that has been tested to extraordinary precision at particle accelerators worldwide.
Nuclear Physics
- Atomic Nucleus [DONE — Session 11 — 2026-07-20]
- Nuclear Binding Energy [DONE — Session 11 — 2026-07-20]
- Mass Defect [DONE — Session 13 — 2026-08-01]
- Radioactive Decay [DONE — Session 11 — 2026-07-20] · simulation
- Alpha Decay [DONE — Session 12 — 2026-07-22]
- Beta Decay [DONE — Session 12 — 2026-07-22]
- Gamma Radiation [DONE — Session 12 — 2026-07-22]
- Half-Life [DONE — Session 11 — 2026-07-20]
- Radioactive Decay Law [DONE — Session 13 — 2026-08-01]
- Nuclear Fission [DONE — Session 12 — 2026-07-22] · simulation
- Nuclear Fusion [DONE — Session 12 — 2026-07-22]
- Nuclear Reactions [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Q-Value [DONE — Session 13 — 2026-08-01]
Standard Model
- Standard Model [DONE — Session 11 — 2026-07-20]
- Quarks [DONE — Session 13 — 2026-08-01]
- Leptons [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Gauge Bosons [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Higgs Boson [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Gluons [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Photon [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- W and Z Bosons [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Fundamental Forces [DONE — Session 13 — 2026-08-01]
- Strong Force [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Weak Force [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
QCD & Electroweak
- Quantum Chromodynamics [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Colour Charge [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Confinement [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Asymptotic Freedom [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Electroweak Theory [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Feynman Diagrams [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
Experimental & Beyond the Standard Model
- Particle Accelerators [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Particle Detectors [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Antimatter [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- CP Violation [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Neutrino Oscillations [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Beyond the Standard Model [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- Supersymmetry [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
- String Theory Overview [PENDING FULL ENTRY]
Sources
- Krane, K.S. (1987). Introductory Nuclear Physics. Wiley.
- Griffiths, D.J. (2008). Introduction to Elementary Particles, 2nd ed. Wiley-VCH.
- Particle Data Group (2024). "Review of Particle Physics." Physical Review D, 110, 030001.