  Atomic physics techniques for the determination of ground-state properties of
radioactive isotopes are very sensitive and provide accurate masses, binding
energies, Q-values, charge radii, spins, and electromagnetic moments. Many
fields in nuclear physics benefit from these highly accurate numbers. They give
insight into details of the nuclear structure for a better understanding of the
underlying effective interactions, provide important input for studies of
fundamental symmetries in physics, and help to understand the nucleosynthesis
processes that are responsible for the observed chemical abundances in the
Universe. Penning-trap and and storage-ring mass spectrometry as well as laser
spectroscopy of radioactive nuclei have now been used for a long time but
significant progress has been achieved in these fields within the last decade.
The basic principles of laser spectroscopic investigations, Penning-trap and
storage-ring mass measurements of short-lived nuclei are summarized and
selected physics results are discussed.
