by Nuclear physics defines the area of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the atom as a whole, including its electrons.
Nuclear Physics is applied in many fields like nuclear power, nuclear weapons, nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging, industrial and agricultural isotopes, and more.
Particle physics evolved out of nuclear physics and the two fields are typically taught in close association. Nuclear astrophysics, the application of nuclear physics to astrophysics, is crucial in explaining the inner workings of stars and the origin of chemical elements. The following best books on Nuclear Physics will enrich your knowledge at large.
Best Books on Nuclear Physics
| Book Name & Author | Image | Rating | Price |
| The Atom: A Visual Tour (The MIT Press) by Jack Challoner |   |
9.6 | View on Amazon |
| Nuclear and Particle Physics: An Introduction by Brian R. Martin & Graham Shaw |   |
9.6 | View on Amazon |
| Particle Physics Brick by Brick: Atomic and Subatomic Physics Explained by Dr. Ben Still Ph.D. |   |
9.5 | View on Amazon |
| A Student’s Guide to Atomic Physics by Mark Fox |   |
9.4 | View on Amazon |
| Theoretical Nuclear Physics (Dover Books on Physics) by John M. Blatt &Victor F. Weisskopf |   |
9.4 | View on Amazon |
| Nuclear Physics: Principles and Applications by John Lilley |   |
9.0 | View on Amazon |
1. The Atom: A Visual Tour (The MIT Press)
This is the most accessible and engaging guide to the atom, the smallest, most fundamental constituent of matter. Popular science has relegated the atom to a supporting role in defining the different chemical elements of the periodic table. In this book, Jack Challoner places the atom at center stage. The Atom investigates the quest to identify the smallest, most fundamental constituents of matter and how that quest helps us to understand what everything is made of and how it all works.
Challoner covers a wide range of topics including the development of scientific thinking about atoms and the basic structure of atoms; how atomic interactions account for the familiar properties of everyday materials. The power of the atomic nucleus and what the mysterious quantum realm of subatomic particles can tell us about the very nature of reality.
The Atom offers clear answers to questions we have all pondered, as well as some we have never even dreamed of. It describes the amazing discoveries scientists have made about the fundamental building blocks of matter from quarks to nuclear fission to the “God particle” and explains them accessibly and concisely. The Atom is an engaging and straightforward introduction to the topic that we didn’t get in school.
This best-seller book provides a complete picture of the nature of atoms with enough detail and well-thought-out visuals to truly help the reader understand the nature of things at the smallest levels of reality.
2. Nuclear and Particle Physics: An Introduction
Nuclear and Particle Physics continues the standards established by its predecessors, offering a comprehensive and highly readable overview of both the theoretical and experimental areas of these fields. The updated and the expanded text covers a very wide range of topics in particle and nuclear physics, with an emphasis on the phenomenological approach to understanding experimental data. It is one of the few publications currently available that gives equal treatment to both fields while remaining accessible to undergraduates.
The first chapters cover basic concepts of nuclear and particle physics before describing their respective phenomenologies and experimental methods. Later chapters interpret data through models and theories, such as the standard model of particle physics, and the liquid drop and shell models of nuclear physics. It also discusses many applications of both fields. The concluding two chapters deal with practical applications and outstanding issues including extensions to the standard model, implications for particle astrophysics, improvements in medical imaging, and prospects for power production.
It has a coverage of developments in relevant fields such as the discovery of the Higgs boson, recent results in neutrino physics, research to test theories beyond the standard model (such as supersymmetry), and important technical advances like Penning traps used for high-precision measurements of nuclear masses.
3. Particle Physics Brick by Brick: Atomic and Subatomic Physics
Understanding atomic and subatomic physics is really easy when you read this book. LEGO® bricks are a great way to visualize the blueprint of the universe, right down to its smallest elements. Particle Physics Brick by Brick explains how and with what the universe came to be. It introduces the Standard Model of Physics, the “rule book” of physics that has been proven correct again and again since its mid-20th century development.
In concise chapters, the book assigns to each atomic element a colored LEGO® brick, such as neutrons, leptons, and quarks. By assembling actual or imaginary bricks and observing their relationships and interactions, particle physics becomes clear. The book opens with the Standard Model of Physics, the physicists and the discoveries made over history, and directions on how to use the book.
The book contains the following chapters:
- Building Blocks and Construction Rules
- Building a Universe
- Electromagnetism and QED (Quantum ElectroDynamics)
- The Strong Force and QCD (Quantum ChromoDynamics)
- The Weak Force and Breaking Symmetries
- Broken Symmetry and Mass
- Problems with Ghosts
- Violated Symmetry
- The Future.
Particle Physics Brick by Brick is a succinct introduction for anyone that wants to gain a basic understanding of the atomic world, its elements, and how they interact. By using tangible substitutes like bricks it brings the unseen atomic world into the realm of the visual.
4. A Student’s Guide to Atomic Physics
This concise and accessible book provides a detailed introduction to the fundamental principles of atomic physics at an undergraduate level. Concepts are explained in an intuitive way and the book assumes only a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics and electromagnetism. With a compact format specifically designed for students, the first part of the book covers the key principles of the subject, including the quantum theory of the hydrogen atom, radiative transitions, the shell model of multi-electron atoms, spin-orbit coupling, and the effects of external fields.
The second part provides an introduction to the four key applications of atomic physics: lasers, cold atoms, solid-state spectroscopy, and astrophysics. This highly pedagogical text includes worked examples and end-of-chapter problems to allow students to test their knowledge as well as numerous diagrams of key concepts. It makes it perfect for undergraduate students looking for a succinct primer on the concepts and applications of atomic physics.
Well-chosen worked examples are liberally sprinkled throughout all the chapters. This is an invaluable aid to the reader. The text is clear to read and understand, and only a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and electromagnetism is required. The harder mathematical concepts are hidden away in Appendices, so they are still available for the more intrepid reader, but do not spoil the flow of the main text.
5. Theoretical Nuclear Physics (Dover Books on Physics)
The classic work by two leading physicists and scientific educators endures an uncommonly clear and cogent investigation and correlation of key aspects of theoretical nuclear physics. It is probably the most widely adopted book on the subject. The authors approach the subject as “the theoretical concepts, methods, and considerations which have been devised in order to interpret the experimental material and to advance our ability to predict and control nuclear phenomena.”
The present volume does not pretend to cover all aspects of theoretical nuclear physics. Its coverage is restricted to phenomena involving energies below about 50 Mev, a region sometimes called classical nuclear physics. Topics include studies of the nucleus, nuclear forces, nuclear spectroscopy, and two-, three- and four-body problems, as well as explorations of nuclear reactions, beta-decay, and nuclear shell structure. The authors have designed the book for experimental physicist working in nuclear physics or graduate students who have had at least a one-term course in quantum mechanics and who know the essential concepts and problems of nuclear physics.
Blatt and Weisskopf is a good, thick compendium of the nuclear theory developed from a quantum mechanical point of view. It’s become something of a classic in its time. This is well deserved since it is written with a good flow and clarity and also covers everything a nonspecialist in nuclear physics would ever need to know.
6. Nuclear Physics: Principles and Applications
Nuclear Physics: Principles and Applications is an introduction to the basic theory and applications of modern nuclear physics. The book aims at students taking a first course in nuclear physics. The text is divided into two broad sections. The first part provides a general introduction to nuclear physics while the next half focuses on some of the most important and current applications, including nuclear medicine, instrumentation, and energy from fission and fusion.
The textbook is written from an experimental point of view. This text offers the reader many practical examples and problems to help encourage understanding. Although complex material treatments are avoided, derivations of formulae are given as necessary but with minimum mathematical complexity.
The author has carefully written and structured the book will appeal to science and engineering students who require an understanding of the fundamental principles of nuclear physics and its applications.
It comes with a modern approach to nuclear physics, covering the basic theory and emphasizing many of the varied and important applications. The book includes a variety of examples and problems in each chapter, with hints to solving these included in the appendix.
The book includes chapters on practical examples and problems and contains hints to solving problems which are included in the appendix. It avoids complex and extensive mathematical treatments.