Twenty years of physics: The nucleus

NUCLEAR PHYSICS emerged from the war years in the 1940’s as a field rich in applications but pitifully weak in fundamental understanding. In the next two decades, building on the impetus and insight achieved in the crash program of the 1940’s, major progress has been made both in understanding and in application. The rich canvas of nuclear phenomena has been sketched in, and exquisite detail has emerged in many areas. Many other areas remain blank and await exploration and exploitation; indeed it has been necessary, repeatedly, to extend the boundaries of the canvas itself. Nuclear physics remains in the frontiers of man’s understanding of his universe. To a unique degree it has also forced significant changes in contemporary society and civilization.

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