Since the atomic nucleus was first proposed in 1911, physicists simply assumed it was round. But are the nuclei of atoms really round? Intuitively this shape makes sense and physicists believed it ...

Researchers have been able to initiate a controlled movement in the very heart of an atom. They caused the atomic nucleus to interact with one of the electrons in the outermost shells of the atom.

The pulse of an atom's magnetic heart as it ticks back and forth between quantum states has been timed in a laboratory. Physicists used a scanning tunneling microscope to observe electrons as they ...

The difference lies in the structure of the atom's nucleus, with certain "magic numbers" of nuclear particles making some isotopes especially resistant to radioactive decay. So what are these magic ...

Quantum mechanics explains why the electrons can keep spinning indefinitely. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. An atom is best ...

A recently completed project at the Department of Energy’s Jefferson Lab in Newport News will help nuclear physicists look deeper into the nucleus of the atom. The 12 GeV (gigaelectronvolts) upgrade ...

QUESTION: Is an atom really hard to break? ANSWER: Not really — we can slice them, dice them, or smash them. Let me explain a little about an atom first, and you will know what I mean. The center of ...

Some atomic nuclei are thin-skinned — they’re surrounded by a slim shell of neutrons. Physicists now know how thick that neutron skin is for one particular type of nucleus. The skin of lead-208 — a ...