Nuclear Energy Research Progress

Nuclear energy is the energy that is directly released from the atomic nucleus. The conversion of nuclear mass to energy is consistent with the mass-energy equivalence formula ÄE = Äm.c2, in which ÄE = energy release, Äm = mass defect, and c = the speed of light in a vacuum (a physical constant).Nuclear energy is released by three exoenergetic (or exothermic) processes: Radioactive decay, where a neutron or proton in the radioactive nucleus decays spontaneously by emitting either particles, electromagnetic radiation (gamma rays), neutrinos (or all of them) Fusion, two atomic nuclei fuse together to form a heavier nucleus Fission, the breaking of an heavy nucleus into two (more rarely three) lighter nuclei This book presents the latest research in the field from around the globe.