The shape of nuclear models to come

The paper concerns models of the structure of the nucleus. Many models exist, which attempt to explain specific properties of nuclei, and some of these make remarkably successful predictions for certain experiments on certain nuclei, but none is a complete description. Such models include: the shell model, liquid drop model and a unified model, and a brief description of these models is given. Recently new aspects of nuclear structure have been investigated experimentally to obtain a single global model of the nucleus. This includes 'transfer reactions' between a projectile nucleus and a nuclear target, and such reactions are being investigated at the Nuclear Structure Facility, Daresbury Laboratory, United Kingdom. Also recent experiments on the shape of nuclei, deformed nuclei and spinning nuclei are outlined, and a future global model would need to explain these properties. (U.K.)