Global Properties of Nuclei

Abstract

Atoms are composed of electrons and the atomic nucleus with proton and neutron as its constituents. The discoveries of these building blocks are briefly reviewed and the quantities characterising the atomic nucleus are defined. The methods of mass spectrometry and of nuclear reactions that are frequently used for a precise determination of atomic masses are presented and the parametrisation of nuclear binding energies as a function of mass number by the semi-empirical Weizsäcker mass formula is discussed. Furthermore, the concept of isospin symmetry is introduced to interpret the charge independence of the nuclear force.