Nuclear Physics Project List
1. Coulomb energy shifts in muonic atoms:
Calculate the muonic atom energy levels exactly assuming a fermi distribution for the nuclear
charge density. Fit the nuclear geometry parameters (half­density radius and surface diffusivity) to the
experimental muonic energies.
2. Electron­nucleus scattering: Calculate the ground state charge density of a nucleus by calculating the ground state wave
functions in some model and summing to get the total. Then use that charge density to get the coulomb
scattering form factor (fourier transform of the density).
3. Nuclear mass calculations:
Calculate the ground state energies of the orbitals of the nucleons which make up some nucleus.
Calculate the total energy based on these energies. Perform the calculations for three nuclei (He, C, and O)
and compare with experiment.
4. Electromagnetic transition rates (lifetimes):
Calculate the wave functions and energy levels for several dipole transitions in some nucleus then
use these wave functions to calculate the lifetime of the states.
5. Dirac model of nuclear structure:
Learn about the sigma­omega (Dirac) model of nuclear forces. Reduce the dirac potentials to
Schroedinger form and use it to calculate the ground state properties of some nucleus.
6. Perturbation calculations:
Calculate the energies and wave functions of some nucleus then use these wavefunctions to
calculate corrections to the energies due to some perturbation, e.g. the relativistic correction to the kinetic
energy, or adding one particle outside a closed shell.
7. Electric polarizability of nuclei:
Calculate the energies and wave functions of some nucleus then use these wave functions to
calculate the polarizability of some nucleus. The polarizability is two times the ratio of the energy shift
when an electric field is turned on to the electric field strength squared.
8. Deuteron binding energy and rms charge radius:
Calculate the deuteron binding energy and charge radius using the Yukawa model for the p­n
potential. Fit the strength of the potential to the deuteron binding energy (2.2 MeV) and then predict the
rms charge radius.
9. Magnetic moments:
Calculate the magnetic moment of nuclei one particle away from closed shell.
10. Neutrino mass analysis:
Calculate the electron endpoint spectrum from the beta decay of tritium and the effect of varying
the neutrino mass. 11. Rutherford back scattering:
Calculate the cross section for scattering alpha's from a thin film where the alpha's lose energy at
a known rate (Bethe­Bloch). Calculate the response of the back scattered alphas to atomic composition of
the thin film sample.
12. Relativistic nuclear matter:
Calculate the self­consistency conditions needed in Walecka's sigma­omega model for nuclear
matter. Fit the parameters for symmetric (N=Z) and neutron star matter.
13. Neutrino oscillations
Study recent articles on neutrino oscillation experiments involving both solar and atmospheric
neutrinos. Analyze the data using the MSW large angle mixing scheme to arrive at your best estimates of
the mixing parameters.