Unveiling the Atom and Its Nucleus
Discoveries, Insights, and Understanding
- 1st Edition - October 1, 2026
- Latest edition
- Author: Michael F. L'Annunziata
- Language: English
Unveiling the Atom and Its Nucleus: Discoveries, Insights, and Understanding explores how chemists and physicists have used scientific principles and experimentation to unveil… Read more
Data Mining & ML
Unlock the cutting edge
Up to 20% on trusted resources. Build expertise with data mining, ML methods.
Description
Description
Unveiling the Atom and Its Nucleus: Discoveries, Insights, and Understanding explores how chemists and physicists have used scientific principles and experimentation to unveil the structure of the atom, factors governing nuclear stability and decay, modes of nuclear decay, and how the components of the atom interrelate to govern nuclear stability or predict its instability. Numerous examples are featured, showing how discoveries (some of which were considered insignificant at the time) have led to remarkable findings and resulted in our current knowledge of the concepts and properties of the atom, such as Oliphant’s discovery of nuclear fusion, Bethe’s energy production in stars, and consequent current fusion energy development. Examples are provided throughout where stunning discoveries were envisioned resulting from the findings of others. The book will describe how one scientific discovery led to another and how physicists have taken our current understanding of quantum chromodynamics and applied it to nuclear stability and decay. The book also provides a summary of current advances in vital applications of atomic energy, such as current applications in nuclear medicine including positron emission tomography, hadron therapy, targeted hadron therapy and radioactive nanoparticles in cancer therapy, stable and radioactive nuclides in research to enhance agricultural production, food preservation, and applied nuclear fusion. It concludes by looking at the status of international treaties and efforts to control nuclear weapon proliferation and nuclear war. Unveiling the Atom and Its Nucleus is written primarily for undergraduate and graduate students and teachers of nuclear and radiochemistry, as well as atomic and nuclear physics and physical chemistry. It will also be of interest to researchers, students, and teachers in the fields of nuclear medicine, medical physics, physical chemistry, and biochemistry, particularly those in the field of the biochemistry of radiopharmaceuticals or looking at the industrial applications of radiation and radionuclides.
Key features
Key features
- Provides stimulating topics rooted in the history of the topic, perfect for teaching and embellishing the learning of students in an engaging manner to pursue the fascinating fields of nuclear chemistry or physics and better understand their fundamentals
- Logical, exhaustive, chronological-based format takes the reader through the science, from the initial discoveries and concrete scientific findings in the 17th century to the current advances in the science of the 21st century
- Presents the science to the reader as it was discovered, in the period it was discovered
Readership
Readership
Written primarily for undergraduate and graduate students and teachers of nuclear and radiochemistry, as well as atomic and nuclear physics and physical chemistry
Table of contents
Table of contents
1. Atoms, Elements, and Molecules: Early Concepts and Findings
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Democritus’ Atomos
1.3 Robert Boyle and Corpuscularism
1.4 Antoine Lavoisier’s Elements
1.5 Dalton’s Evidence for Molecules of Atoms
1.6 X-radiation Origins and Properties
1.7 Barkla and X-ray Line Spectra
1.8 Moseley’s Atomic Number and Missing Elements
1.9 Bragg’s X-ray Diffraction and Structures of Atoms in Molecules
2. Characterization of Nuclear Radiation
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Becquerel’s Discovery of Radioactivity
2.3 Curie’s Characterization of Elements Emitting Radioactivity
2.4 Alpha- and Beta Radiation and Its Properties
2.5 Images of Particle Tracks
2.6 Villard’s Discovery of Gamma-Radiation
2.7 Chadwick’s Discovery and Characterization of Neutron Radiation (including a short discussion of the Joliet’s Curie’s missed neutron discovery)
2.8 Atomic Electron Radiation
2.9 Neutron Decay
3. Atomic Structure
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Rutherford’s Discovery of the Proton
3.3 J.J. Thompson’s Discovery of the Electron
3.4 Atomic Models and Nagaoka’s Characterization of the Atom
3.5 Rutherford’s Atomic Nucleus
3.6 The Bohr Atom and Atomic Spectra
3.7 Siegbahn’s X-ray Spectra of the Elements
4. Quantum Physics
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Planck’s Radiation Quantum
4.3 de Broglie’s Particle-Wave Duality
4.4 Wave Nature of the Electron Particle
4.5 The Frank-Hertz Experiment
4.6 Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
4.7 Bohr’s Complementarity
4.8 Schrödinger’s Wave Mechanics
4.9 Max Born’s Wave Function of the Matter-Wave Duality
4.10 Schrödinger’s Cat and the Superposition of States of Matter
4.11 Pauli’s Exclusion Principal
4.12 Einstein’s Quantum Theory of the Photon
4.13 Compton’s Photon-Electron Scattering
4.14 The Lorentz Transformations and Einstein’s Relativity
4.15 Quantum Electrodynamics
4.16 Antiparticles
5. Revelations in Nuclear Decay
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Rutherford and Geiger’s α- and β-particle Charge Measurements
5.3 Geiger and Nutall’s α-particle Range Measurements
5.4 Pauli and the Beta-Decay Conundrum
5.5 Fermi’s Beta-Decay
5.6 Discovery of the Neutrino
5.7 Radioactive Decay Equations and Decay Equilibria
5.8 Displacement Law of Radioactive Elements
6. Isotopes of the Elements
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Soddy Discovery of Radioactive Isotopes
6.3 Thomson’s Evidence of Stable Isotopes
6.4 Aston Develops the Mass Spectrometer and Discovers Stable Isotopes
7. Radiation of Extraterrestrial Origin
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Hess’s Discovery of Cosmic Radiation
7.3 Blackett’s Cosmic Radiation and Nuclear Reactions
7.4 Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
8. Cherenkov Radiation
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Heavyside’s Prediction
8.3 Marie Curie and Mallet’s Observations
8.4 Cherenkov’s Discovery
8.5 Frank and Tamm’s Interpretation
8.6 Current Applications
9. Nuclear Fusion
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Oliphant’s Discovery of Fusion
9.3 Energy Production in Stars
9.4 Current Development
10. The Nuclear Era
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Szilard’s Early Vision of Nuclear Fission and Criticality
10.3 The Discovery of Nuclear Fission (including a short discussion on Fermi’s missed fission discovery)
10.4 Neutron-Nuclear Interactions
10.5 Demonstration of the Self-Sustaining Neutron Chain Reaction
10.6 Szilard and Einstein’s Letter Sparking the Manhattan Project
10.7 The Manhattan Project
10.8 Fermi and Szilard’s Patent for a Commercial Nuclear Reactor
10.9 Szilard and Frank’s Efforts Against Nuclear Weapon Use
10.10 Germany and Japan’s Early Studies in Nuclear Fission
10.11 UN Control of Nuclear Weapon Development
10.12 The Creation of the IAEA
10.13 The Pugwash Conferences
11. Exotic Nuclear Properties and Decay Modes
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Magic Numbers and Cluster Radioactivity
11.3 Proton and Neutron Drip Lines and Emissions
11.4 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
11.5 Double Beta Decay
11.6 Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay
12. The Internal Structure of the Proton and Neutron
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Initial Evidence from Magnetic Moment Measurements
12.3 Zweig and Gell-Mann’s Theory of Quarks
12.4 Evidence from Inelastic Scattering in Protons and Neutrons at MIT and SLAC
12.5 Evidence Provided by the Large Hadron Collider
12.6 Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD)
12.7 Quarks, Nucleons and Beta Decay
13. Nuclear Forces
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Yukawa’s Prediction of Mesons
13.3 Powell’s Discovery of Pions
13.4 Role of Pions in the Strong Nuclear Force
14. Anthropogenic Radioactive Elements
14.1 Introduction
14.2 The Joliot-Curies Synthesis of New Radioactive Elements
14.3 Cockroft and Walton’s First Artificial Nuclear Disentegration
14.4 Lawrence’s Cyclotron and Radioactive Nuclides for Medicine and Research
14.5 McMillan and Seaborg Create Transuranium Elements
14.6 Segre Discovers a Missing Element
14.7 Quest for Atoms with Superheavy Nuclei (Island of Stability)
15. Mass and Energy Equivalence
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Anderson and Neddermeyer’s Discovery of Pair Production
15.3 Examples of Pair Production (external)
15.4 Internal Pair Production
15.5 Annihilation (will include examples)
15.6 The Discovery of the Higgs Boson and Our Concept of Mass
16. Vital and Perilous Applications
16.1 Vital Nuclear Applications
16.2 Perils of Nuclear Weapons
Appendix
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Democritus’ Atomos
1.3 Robert Boyle and Corpuscularism
1.4 Antoine Lavoisier’s Elements
1.5 Dalton’s Evidence for Molecules of Atoms
1.6 X-radiation Origins and Properties
1.7 Barkla and X-ray Line Spectra
1.8 Moseley’s Atomic Number and Missing Elements
1.9 Bragg’s X-ray Diffraction and Structures of Atoms in Molecules
2. Characterization of Nuclear Radiation
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Becquerel’s Discovery of Radioactivity
2.3 Curie’s Characterization of Elements Emitting Radioactivity
2.4 Alpha- and Beta Radiation and Its Properties
2.5 Images of Particle Tracks
2.6 Villard’s Discovery of Gamma-Radiation
2.7 Chadwick’s Discovery and Characterization of Neutron Radiation (including a short discussion of the Joliet’s Curie’s missed neutron discovery)
2.8 Atomic Electron Radiation
2.9 Neutron Decay
3. Atomic Structure
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Rutherford’s Discovery of the Proton
3.3 J.J. Thompson’s Discovery of the Electron
3.4 Atomic Models and Nagaoka’s Characterization of the Atom
3.5 Rutherford’s Atomic Nucleus
3.6 The Bohr Atom and Atomic Spectra
3.7 Siegbahn’s X-ray Spectra of the Elements
4. Quantum Physics
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Planck’s Radiation Quantum
4.3 de Broglie’s Particle-Wave Duality
4.4 Wave Nature of the Electron Particle
4.5 The Frank-Hertz Experiment
4.6 Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
4.7 Bohr’s Complementarity
4.8 Schrödinger’s Wave Mechanics
4.9 Max Born’s Wave Function of the Matter-Wave Duality
4.10 Schrödinger’s Cat and the Superposition of States of Matter
4.11 Pauli’s Exclusion Principal
4.12 Einstein’s Quantum Theory of the Photon
4.13 Compton’s Photon-Electron Scattering
4.14 The Lorentz Transformations and Einstein’s Relativity
4.15 Quantum Electrodynamics
4.16 Antiparticles
5. Revelations in Nuclear Decay
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Rutherford and Geiger’s α- and β-particle Charge Measurements
5.3 Geiger and Nutall’s α-particle Range Measurements
5.4 Pauli and the Beta-Decay Conundrum
5.5 Fermi’s Beta-Decay
5.6 Discovery of the Neutrino
5.7 Radioactive Decay Equations and Decay Equilibria
5.8 Displacement Law of Radioactive Elements
6. Isotopes of the Elements
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Soddy Discovery of Radioactive Isotopes
6.3 Thomson’s Evidence of Stable Isotopes
6.4 Aston Develops the Mass Spectrometer and Discovers Stable Isotopes
7. Radiation of Extraterrestrial Origin
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Hess’s Discovery of Cosmic Radiation
7.3 Blackett’s Cosmic Radiation and Nuclear Reactions
7.4 Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation
8. Cherenkov Radiation
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Heavyside’s Prediction
8.3 Marie Curie and Mallet’s Observations
8.4 Cherenkov’s Discovery
8.5 Frank and Tamm’s Interpretation
8.6 Current Applications
9. Nuclear Fusion
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Oliphant’s Discovery of Fusion
9.3 Energy Production in Stars
9.4 Current Development
10. The Nuclear Era
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Szilard’s Early Vision of Nuclear Fission and Criticality
10.3 The Discovery of Nuclear Fission (including a short discussion on Fermi’s missed fission discovery)
10.4 Neutron-Nuclear Interactions
10.5 Demonstration of the Self-Sustaining Neutron Chain Reaction
10.6 Szilard and Einstein’s Letter Sparking the Manhattan Project
10.7 The Manhattan Project
10.8 Fermi and Szilard’s Patent for a Commercial Nuclear Reactor
10.9 Szilard and Frank’s Efforts Against Nuclear Weapon Use
10.10 Germany and Japan’s Early Studies in Nuclear Fission
10.11 UN Control of Nuclear Weapon Development
10.12 The Creation of the IAEA
10.13 The Pugwash Conferences
11. Exotic Nuclear Properties and Decay Modes
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Magic Numbers and Cluster Radioactivity
11.3 Proton and Neutron Drip Lines and Emissions
11.4 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
11.5 Double Beta Decay
11.6 Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay
12. The Internal Structure of the Proton and Neutron
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Initial Evidence from Magnetic Moment Measurements
12.3 Zweig and Gell-Mann’s Theory of Quarks
12.4 Evidence from Inelastic Scattering in Protons and Neutrons at MIT and SLAC
12.5 Evidence Provided by the Large Hadron Collider
12.6 Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD)
12.7 Quarks, Nucleons and Beta Decay
13. Nuclear Forces
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Yukawa’s Prediction of Mesons
13.3 Powell’s Discovery of Pions
13.4 Role of Pions in the Strong Nuclear Force
14. Anthropogenic Radioactive Elements
14.1 Introduction
14.2 The Joliot-Curies Synthesis of New Radioactive Elements
14.3 Cockroft and Walton’s First Artificial Nuclear Disentegration
14.4 Lawrence’s Cyclotron and Radioactive Nuclides for Medicine and Research
14.5 McMillan and Seaborg Create Transuranium Elements
14.6 Segre Discovers a Missing Element
14.7 Quest for Atoms with Superheavy Nuclei (Island of Stability)
15. Mass and Energy Equivalence
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Anderson and Neddermeyer’s Discovery of Pair Production
15.3 Examples of Pair Production (external)
15.4 Internal Pair Production
15.5 Annihilation (will include examples)
15.6 The Discovery of the Higgs Boson and Our Concept of Mass
16. Vital and Perilous Applications
16.1 Vital Nuclear Applications
16.2 Perils of Nuclear Weapons
Appendix
Product details
Product details
- Edition: 1
- Latest edition
- Published: October 1, 2026
- Language: English
About the author
About the author
MF
Michael F. L'Annunziata
Michael F. L'Annunziata earned his PhD degree in 1970 at the University of Arizona. His thesis research in the 1960s under contract with the then-US Atomic Energy Commission dealt with the analysis of radionuclides and chemical remediation of the environment in the event of fission product fallout from nuclear war. L'Annunziata was formerly Head of Fellowships and Training at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria; and he has served as a representative and lecturer for the IAEA on peaceful applications of nuclear energy for development in over 40 countries of the world from 1976-2007 and currently a private consultant in radioactivity analysis. Michael is the recipient of the 2022 Arthur Holly Compton Award in Education granted by the American Nuclear Society.
Affiliations and expertise
Former Head, IAEA Fellowships and Training, Vienna, Austria; Current office: Oceanside, CA, USA