A new generation of electromagnetic probes of nuclei

It is stated that because the electromagnetic interaction is sufficiently weak that it does not unduly disrupt a nuclear target, electromagnetic probes provide unambiguous quantitative information regarding the spatial distribution of the nuclear wave function. They represent a new generation of experimental techniques, now coming into operation, that will greatly increase the variety and quality of results. Three applications of this new technique are described - application to (e,e'p) and (γ,p) reactions, application to inelastic electron scattering from rotational nuclei; and application to magnetic scattering. High-q probes of few-body systems are also discussed. (U.K.)