Radioactive Beams: A Probe for Atoms and Nuclei

Abstract

A brief summary of the new technical developments of producing intense, energetic radioactive heavy ion beams is provided with some insight of what is happening in the area of nuclear science. These developments have revitalized the entire field of nuclear chemistry and physics, and have provided useful probes for such areas as nuclear astrophysics and condensed matter physics. These are also applications of these new beams in the areas of nuclear medicine and radiopharmacology that have not been mentioned. In many ways, with the start of the next millennium, it is clear that the study of the nucleus is still as important area of research as it was at the start of this century. There are important questions that need to be answered and these new probes represents a first step towards finally addressing these questions in a meaningful fashion.