P erhaps unique among the natural sciences, nuclear physics has had no means for visualizing the topic under study, the atomic nucleus. Although the theoretical models in current use succeed in making a wide variety of quantitative predictions concerning nuclear phenomena, the models of nuclear structure were developed independently based on assumptions not necessarily compatible with the other models. This diversity of perspectives has made self-consistent visualization of the nucleus

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... e. Still, those in the field haven't viewed this problem as a crisis of theory itself. On the contrary, they have considered the multiple models of nuclear structure theory to be an unfortunate, but inevitable, consequence of the scale and complexity of nuclear phenomena. Known nuclear systems range from extremely small nuclei containing one to three nucleons, where precise calculations are possible, to extremely complex many-body systems (about 300 nucleons) that are nonetheless too small to justify the statistical assumptions of infinite nuclear matter. Between the realm of precise few-body calculations and the realm of precise stochastic calculations lie most of the problems of the nuclear realm, where only imperfect models with a variety of adjustable parameters allow for quantitative work. Recent developments in both computer science and nuclear theory, however, have made it possible to visualize the nucleus in a manner consistent among the diverse models of nuclear structure. In this article, we discuss the need for visualization at the nuclear level-for both educational and research purposes-and then describe a computer graphics implementation that we call Nuclear Visualization Software (NVS). Developments in computer science and nuclear theory make it possible to visualize the nucleus consistently among the diverse models of nuclear structure. Nuclear Visualization Software facilitates this goal.