Atomic physics is a branch of physics devoted to the study of the material composition and energetic processes of atoms and molecules. Concepts of the atom and of atomic structure date to the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus who proposed that all...

Until the early 1900s, the laws of classical physics, established in the seventeenth century by Isaac Newton (1642-1727) and in the nineteenth by James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), described the behavior of objects in the everyday world well. But...

Atomic physics (or atom physics) is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. It is primarily concerned with the arrangement of electrons around the nucleus and the processes by which these...

Born 130 years ago in rural New Zealand, Ernest Rutherford unraveled the mysteries of radioactivity, determined the structure of the atom, split the atom, and led research labs on two continents. "It is given to but few men to achieve immortality, still...

Hollow excitement energizes atomic physics Researchers have discovered that a close encounter between a highly charged, slowly moving ion and a metal surface often yields a neutral atom flush with excess energy -- an intriguing product they describe as a "hollow" atom....