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nuclear physics

nuclear physics

6 4.0
The study of the center of an atom and its parts, like protons and neutrons
  • noun
  • /ˈnjuːklɪər ˈfɪzɪks/
  • Specialized
translation icon : física nuclear
  • Many advancements in technology are based on principles learned from nuclear physics.
  • nuclear physics research
  • field of nuclear physics
  • nuclear physics laboratory

My research expertise is in nuclear physics.

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Examples

  • Arima earned a DSc in nuclear physics from the University of Tokyo in 1958.

    Academic text (1993)
  • At least one of the country's three major nuclear physics facilities faces closure.

    Academic text (2012)
  • People who know something about nuclear physics.

  • My field is nuclear physics.

  • But we have got to be competitive in critical fields such as nuclear physics if we are going to have an economy.

    Academic text (2012)
  • So hopefully this is giving you an idea of what a book on theoretical nuclear physics looks like.

  • Neptunium was discovered by the nuclear physics group working at the University of California, Berkeley.

    Academic text (2002)
  • In late August, the NAS released a decadal survey on nuclear physics.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Deuterium was found to have unique utility in biology, chemistry, and nuclear physics.

    Academic text (2012)
  • That's one of the great unsolved problems in nuclear physics is how to make a fusion reactor that will generate electricity for us.

Synonyms

nucleonics
vsnuclear physics
  • Specialized
9.9

A branch of science that studies the centers of atoms and how they react

is broader, describing nuclei behavior generally rather than listing reactions

Surface Forms

Morphology

nuclear + physics

The meaning 'the branch of physics dealing with atomic nuclei' is directly and compositionally derived from 'nuclear' (about atomic nuclei) modifying 'physics' (the scientific study of matter and energy), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE meaning. This is a standard modifier+noun compound found across languages and follows transparent semantic composition, making it immediately comprehensible.

Etymology

Nuclear physics comes from the Latin word nucleus, meaning 'little nut' or 'core', so nuclear points to the atom's center. So nuclear physics is the study of the atom's center and how it behaves, which is why today it means 'the study of atomic nuclei'.