^ i think
Ashlee88 was asking about Heisenberg and Pauli's contributions to
nuclear science - not the general Atomic Theory...
Ashlee, nuclear science is a discipline dealing with the properties of the nuclei of atoms; here's how Heisenberg's
Uncertainty Principle, and Pauli's
proposition of the existence of the neutrino contributed to nuclear science:
1) for the
Uncertainty Principle - it explained the possibility of
alpha decay within an unstable nucleus. The principle provided an explanation for why some of the alpha particles ejected from the nucleus of an atom had
less kinetic energy than that is usually required in order for a particle of similar size to escape the attractive forces of the nucleus {related also to mass defect and binding energy of the nucleus}.
the Principle provided the resolution that since the
position of any quantum particles
cannot be exactly known, then the probabilistic 'picture' of the atom means that an alpha particle has a distinct probability of being actually physically
outside the nucleus of the atom at any moment in time.
so in essence, the alpha particle, in this way, is allowed to 'dig' out of the nucleus with less kinetic energy than is predicted by Classical theory... this is a process called
quantum tunnelling and governs many of the nuclear processes studied in nuclear science.
2) for Pauli's
neutrino - it explained the "missing energy" of the
beta decay of nucleons within an atom, thereby also confirming the validity of the
Law of Conservation of Energy and Mass at the atomic level. Pauli's contribution here was the provision of a theoretical explanation which accounted for the 'lost' energy in beta decays where either a proton or a neutron decays into each other respectively... the proposed massless particle, the neutrino, was responsible for carrying away this 'lost energy'.
the detection of the neutrino later on was experimental proof for Pauli's proposition.
his contribution ultimately led to a broader understanding of the processes of beta decay in nuclear interations and opened up the study into the possible existence of more, but then undiscovered, sub-atomic particles in the 1930s and onwards...
hope this helps answer your second question
Ashlee