Atomic and Nuclear Physics

Understanding atoms and matter on the smallest scale.

Resources in this category:

The American Experience: Meltdown at Three Mile Island
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/amex/three/

Contains information about the meltdown at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, including a timeline and facts on key people and events, plus a teacher's guide. Also outlines the episode of the PBS series "The American Experience" relating to the Three Mile Island accident.

Andrei Sakharov: Soviet Physics, Nuclear Weapons and Human Rights
http://www.aip.org/history/sakharov/

This site is devoted to the "father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb", the "Soviet physicist who became ... a spokesman for the conscience of mankind." "This exhibit tells about Sakharov¹s extraordinary life," including information about his history, his work in nuclear physics, his views on democracy and human rights, and links to other sites. The site includes photographs and audio clips of Sakharov speaking.

Antimatter: Mirror of the Universe
http://livefromcern.web.cern.ch/livefromcern/antimatter/

Discover what antimatter is and learn about its history. Also find out where it is made and how it is already part of our lives. The Kid's Corner offers an explanation of antimatter for younger readers.

Conventional Fusion FAQ
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/fusion-faq/

"A comprehensive, relatively nontechnical set of answers to many of the frequently asked questions about fusion science, fusion energy, and fusion research. Additionally, there is a Glossary of Frequently Used Terms In Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy Research, which explains much of the jargon of the field."

The Discovery of the Electron
http://www.aip.org/history/electron/

"'The Discovery of the Electron' was produced to commemorate the 100th anniversary of J.J. Thomson's groundbreaking experiments." This site includes sections such as "J.J. Thomson," "Mysterious Rays," and "1897 Experiments." It includes explanations, pictures, and links to related sites.

Hyperphysics
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hph.html

Hyperphysics presents the interrelationships between various fields of physics with explanations of key concepts. The site has been designed to be highly interactive, providing numerous visual and textual hyperlinks. Links to helpful tools are provided. Developed at Georgia State University.

The Internet Plasma Physics Education Experience
http://ippex.pppl.gov/

"This site contains Interactive Plasma Physics Topics, ranging from electricity, magnetism, energy, and fusion." Provides several animated lessons illustrating advanced physics concepts, including a "Virual Tokamak."

NRL Plasma Formulary
http://www.rzg.mpg.de/~dpc/nrl/

Large collection of equations and constants, mostly relating to plasma physics but information from other branches of science and engineering are included.

Nuclear Physics: Past, Present and Future
http://library.thinkquest.org/3471/?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0210

"Understanding the atom was exclusively a pursuit of scientists for a long time. There was a time when the workings of these tiny particles were of no consequence to ordinary people. That time ended over fifty years ago, when scientists irrefutably demonstrated the power of the atom to the world, yet there are many who still fail to comprehend the physics behind this awesome technology. Addressing a general audience, we explain the physics behind this technology, connecting it to popular history, current issues and prospects for the future. Additionally, we provide a forum for users to discuss material presented on this site and express their thoughts regarding various issues. Enjoy reading the interactive material, taking the self-tests, and debating political issues with others."

Nuclearfiles.org
http://www.nuclearfiles.org/

"By providing background information, analysis and access to primary documents, this site is an educational resource exploring the political, legal and ethical challenges stemming from the continued existence of nuclear weapons."

The Particle Adventure: The Fundamentals of Matter and Force
http://particleadventure.org/particleadventure/

"The Particle Data Group of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory presents an award-winning interactive tour of quarks, neutrinos, antimatter, extra dimensions, dark matter, accelerators, and particle detectors." Also features numerous links and interactive resources on nuclear physics.

WebElements
http://www.webelements.com/

"WebElements aims to be a high quality source of information on the WWW relating to the periodic table. Coverage is such that professional scientists and students at school will all find something useful. You will find thousands of graphics showing elements structures and periodic properties here. Currently, most information is about the elements themselves but the scope of WebElements will include simple compounds as well in the future." Click on an element's symbol in the periodic table and get detailed information about the element, along with graphics and images. There are also several chemistry-related calculators. A Scholar Edition for students is also in the works.

Eric Weisstein's World of Physics
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/

An electronic encyclopedia of physics topics, including numerous links, explanations, equations. Topics are searchable, or users can browse links.

Yahoo! News Full Coverage: High-Energy and Particle Physics
http://news.yahoo.com/fc/science/high_energy_and_particle_ph...

Features current news stories related to high energy physics and astrophysics. Also links to news sources, opinions & editorials, magazine articles, video sources, and related Web sites.