Experimental nuclear physics

Experimental nuclear physics is the practical investigation of the processes that occur at the heart of an atom. This includes building a better fundamental understanding of fusion and fission, and harnessing them for sustained energy generation. Other areas of study are the creation of superheavy elements, and the application of radioactive substances in medicine.

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News and Comment

  • News & Views |

    Although the mass of the electron antineutrino is still eluding direct measurement, the KATRIN experiment with its huge spectrometer has pushed the sensitivity below a billionth of the proton mass.

    • Angelo Nucciotti
    Nature Physics 18, 128-129

  • News & Views |

    To test the validity of theoretical models, the predictions they make must be compared with experimental data. Instead of choosing one model out of many to describe mass measurements of zirconium, Bayesian statistics allows the averaging of a variety of models.

    • Alessandro Pastore
    Nature Physics 17, 1283

  • News & Views |

    Precise measurements of the annihilation of an electron–positron pair into a neutron–antineutron pair allow us to take a look inside the neutron to better understand its complex structure.

    • Galina Pakhlova
    Nature Physics 17, 1196-1197

  • Editorial |

    India is a key player in big international science projects in astronomy, nuclear and high-energy physics. However, raising the visibility of individual researchers and institutes remains a challenge.

    Nature Reviews Physics 3, 721
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