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User & Controls Guide

Nuclear Energy Valley 3D is a fully interactive WebGL application running directly in your web browser. No plugins, installations, or external dependencies are needed. It is hosted live on GitHub Pages:

👉 Launch 3D Application (GitHub Pages)

1. Camera & Navigation

The application combines orbit inspection with free-flight traversal, allowing simultaneous mouse and keyboard operation.

Action Control / Key Description
Rotate view (Orbit) Left click & drag Rotates camera around the current target.
Zoom in / out Scroll wheel / pinch gesture Smooth optical zoom.
Horizontal traversal W, A, S, D or Arrow keys Fly forward, backward, left, or right.
Vertical elevation Q / Space (up), E / C (down) Change altitude above the landscape.
Speed boost Hold Shift while traversing Doubles travel speed across the chart.
Focus on isotope Click any nuclide column Centers camera orbit on that isotope.

2. Visualization Modes

The control panel provides two distinct topographic perspectives:

  1. Valley Mode (Default & Intuitive):
  2. Reflects the true physical potential well: bars extend downwards.
  3. More tightly bound nuclei (\(E_\text{bind}/A\) higher) sit deeper in the canyon.
  4. \(^{56}\text{Fe}\) and \(^{62}\text{Ni}\) rest at the lowest basin.

  5. Ideal for the atom drop simulation: dropped atoms roll downward under gravity.

  6. Peak Mode (Traditional Column Chart):

  7. Column height is directly proportional to binding energy per nucleon.
  8. Iron-group elements form the highest plateau (\(~8.8\text{ MeV}\)).

3. Nuclide Selection & Telemetry

Clicking any 3D bar updates the Telemetry Panel on the right side:

  • Element & Chemical Symbol: E.g. Iron (\(^{56}_{26}\text{Fe}\)), Uranium (\(^{235}_{92}\text{U}\))
  • Nuclear Coordinates: \(Z\) (protons), \(N\) (neutrons), \(A\) (mass number)
  • Specific Binding Energy: Expressed in both \(\text{MeV/nucleon}\) and \(\text{pJ/nucleon}\)
  • Mass Excess: \(\Delta = m - A\) in keV
  • Stability Status: Stable nuclide, or half-life with radioactive decay mode (\(\alpha\), \(\beta^{-}\), \(\beta^{+}\), fission)

The top header bar provides instant shortcuts to key nuclei: - ⛰️ \(^{56}\text{Fe}\) – Famous nucleosynthesis endpoint - ⚓ \(^{62}\text{Ni}\) – Highest binding energy per nucleon - 📍 \(^{1}\text{H}\) – Free proton (valley summit) - ☢️ \(^{235}\text{U}\) – Fissile uranium fuel

4. Nuclear Trajectory Engine (Atom Drop)

Experience nuclear transformations firsthand with the Atom Drop feature:

  1. Select any isotope (e.g. \(^{238}\text{U}\), \(^{14}\text{C}\), or \(^{2}\text{H}\)).
  2. Click ▶ Drop Selected Nucleus, or use Shift + Click / Double-Click on the 3D bar.
  3. A spherical particle falls from high altitude onto the chosen column via simulated gravity.
  4. The atom then embarks on a step-by-step migration toward the stability basin.

Path Algorithms

  • Gradient Mode: Step-by-step local steepest ascent in binding energy per nucleon (\(\Delta E_\text{bind}/A\)) across immediate neighbors.
  • Decay Chain Mode: Simulates realistic physical transitions:
  • Fission for heavy actinides
  • \(\alpha\)-decay (\(Z - 2, A - 4\))
  • \(\beta^{-}\)-decay (\(Z + 1, A\))
  • \(\beta^{+}\) / Electron capture (\(Z - 1, A\))

A 3D light ribbon (PathTrail) and floating comic-style callouts follow the particle, showing the energy \(\Delta E\) released at each transition.

5. Periodic Table Nuclide Picker

Click the 🧪 Periodic Table button in the left sidebar to open the 18-column IUPAC interactive modal:

  • Color-coded by standard chemical families (alkali metals, halogens, noble gases, actinides, etc.).
  • Clicking any element opens its Isotope Drawer, listing all 3,078 evaluated isotopes with stability indicators.
  • Select and drop any isotope directly from the modal into the 3D valley.