NUCLEAR: A High-Energy Tale of Life and Death tells the story of how the atomic nucleus – the tiny nugget at the heart of an atom – has helped to shape the modern world. It is an engaging account of discovery and exploitation that presents a rounded picture of both the positive and the negative aspects of nuclear technology.
Much of our electricity is provided by nuclear power. For many this conjures up fears of radioactive plumes released by reactor meltdowns such as those of Chernobyl and Fukushima. Far more terrifying is the threat of nuclear war. We are accustomed to sheltering beneath the dubious security of mutually assured destruction (MAD) – an umbrella of nuclear-tipped missiles that we hope will never become a thermonuclear mushroom cloud.
Such nightmares are, however, just one side of the nuclear coin. Every year millions receive life-saving treatments based on the physics of the nucleus. Indeed, almost all the world’s particle accelerators are found in hospitals where they create radioisotopes for medical procedures. For over a century, nuclear radiation has been used to treat cancer, and it plays an equally vital role in diagnosis – several established medical scanning techniques rely on the properties of the nucleus.
But unlocking the secrets of the atomic nucleus has far wider significance than even these examples would suggest. Nuclear physics has transformed our understanding of the universe. It explains how stars shine and what becomes of a star at the end of its life. It tells us that we are all stardust; every atom in our bodies was created within a star or in a cataclysmic neutron star collision. Nuclear physics also enables us to investigate the history of our planet. It allows geologists to determine when a rock was formed and even to measure the age of the Earth itself.
Furthermore, radioactive decay within the Earth provides the driving force that slowly moves the continents, keeping the planet alive, building mountain ranges, generating earthquakes and triggering volcanic eruptions. Archaeology was similarly transformed into a historical science by radiocarbon dating which, combined with other nuclear techniques, enables historians to paint detailed pictures of when, where and how our ancestors lived. Subatomic particles known as muons have even been used to scan the pyramids of Egypt, revealing long lost chambers within the Pyramid of Khufu.
But this is not simply a book about ideas; it is a book about people, the people who developed those ideas and the technologies that derive from them. We meet many colourful individuals, many of whom have their roots in Nick’s native Manchester, or elsewhere in the North of England:
Marie Curie in her lab
Yuri Oganessian with his calculations
Admiral Hyman Rickover who masterminded the first nuclear submarine and the world’s most successful nuclear reactor;
NUCLEAR: A High-Energy Tale of Life and Death tells the story of how we penetrated the inner sanctum of the material world and how the knowledge that we gained has been used for good and ill.
Nuclear power provides much of our electricity. But for many this conjures up fears of radioactive plumes released by reactor meltdowns such as those of Chernobyl and Fukushima. Even more terrifying is the ever-present threat of nuclear war. We have become accustomed to sheltering beneath the dubious security of mutually assured destruction (MAD) – an umbrella of nuclear-tipped missiles that we hope will never become a thermonuclear mushroom cloud. Such nightmares are, however, just one side of the nuclear coin. Every year millions receive life-saving treatments based on the physics of the atomic nucleus. Indeed, almost all the world’s particle accelerators are found in hospitals where they create radioisotopes for medical procedures.
