Introductory Nuclear Physics

This book examines the results of atomic nucleus studies conducted during the past three-quarters of a century. It explores the major changes in nuclear physics which have taken place in the past few years. It is one of the first to reflect new trends in the study of the atomic nucleus. The text presents an up-to-date view of nuclear physics, uses the study of nuclei as a "laboratory" for discovering and understanding new principles of physics, and aims to put the study of nuclei in its proper relation to the subject of sub-atomic particles. The book also emphasizes the underlying quark substructure of nucleons and the fundamental interactions between the elementary building blocks of nuclei.