Atomic & Nuclear Physics Simulators

How to Use

1. Select the physics domain from the category filter: atomic structure, nuclear decay, or quantum mechanics
2. Input material or isotope parameters (atomic number Z, mass number A, binding energy per nucleon)
3. Run the simulator to compute energy levels, decay constants, or cross-section probabilities
4. Review output against tabulated nuclear data (NNDC, AME2020) for validation

Worked Example

For Carbon-14 radioactive decay: input half-life t₁/₂ = 5730 years, decay constant λ = 1.21×10⁻⁴ year⁻¹. A 50 mg sample decays to 12.5 mg after 11,460 years (two half-lives). Nuclear binding energy for C-14: 7.520 MeV/nucleon × 14 nucleons = 105.3 MeV total. Simulator outputs activity rate in Becquerels and age-dating confidence intervals.

Practical Notes

1. Verify isotope stability: light nuclei (Z < 20) typically require N ≈ Z; heavy nuclei need N/Z ≈ 1.4 to resist Coulomb repulsion
2. Account for detector efficiency when interpreting gamma-ray energies from Co-60 (1.17 MeV, 1.33 MeV lines) or Cs-137 (662 keV)
3. Use semi-empirical mass formula (SEMF) for binding energy predictions when experimental values unavailable
4. Cross-check decay branching ratios against evaluated nuclear structure databases before design decisions