A Foray into Nuclear Physics: From Beginnings to Modern Methods

Nuclear physics was birthed alongside the discoveries of the quantum era when our humble understanding of matter evolved rapidly. In the span of decades, we went from being ignorant of nuclear matter to harnessing the immense power of nuclear reactions. As our never-ending quest to characterize nature on a fundamental level progressed, we discovered the fundamental particles and their interactions that compose a substructure of nuclei. However, despite our incredible advancement, there is still much we do not understand. Currently, our study of interactions between nuclei in the atomic nucleus is filled with many holes that present a barrier in understating nuclear properties. But with the introduction of modern theories into the study of nuclear matter in the past 30 years and increasing computational power, we may yet have a means of surmounting the barricade we find ourselves standing before to unlock the secrets of nuclear interactions.