NUCLEAR PHYSICS
SH2302
8 ECTS credits
The course is also given as an introductory graduate course [5A5420, 6 credits]
EXPERIMENT
THEORY
Lecturer and course coordinator:
Prof. Bo Cederwall
Department of Physics,
Royal Institute of Technology
Roslagstullsbacken 21,
S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
(Centre for Physics, Astronomy and Biotechnology)
APPLICATIONS
The course will cover selected topics in basic and applied nuclear
physics, such as:
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Basic nuclear properties
Nucleon structure, the quark model (in brief)
Nuclear forces, effective nucleon-nucleon interaction, two-nucleon systems
Nuclear decay modes;
the strong interaction - alpha-decay,
the weak interaction - beta-decay
the electromagnetic interaction - gamma-decay
 Nuclear reactions, basic scattering theory
 Deformed nuclei and collective motion - rotations - vibrations
 “Microscopic” models of nuclear structure; nuclear shell model, mean field
models, ab initio models
 Nuclei under extreme conditions of temperature (quark-gluon plasma),
deformation and angular momentum
 Fission and fusion - nuclear energy production
 Applications of nuclear physics in industry and medicine
 Outlook: The research frontier
The course will be given during the spring semester, starting 10:15,
Monday 21st January 2013, in FA31, AlbaNova.
Lecture schedule
NB: Lectures start a quarter after the hour.
Lectures and laboratory exercises will take place at AlbaNova,
Roslagstullsbacken 21.
The lab work will be scheduled on an individual (group) basis in order to, if
possible, avoid collisions with other courses.
Do not enter the lab area without having carefully studied the radiation
safety information provided below!
Try to form groups of 3 students and contact the laboratory assistants (see
below) with the times when you would like to have each laboratory
excercise.
A list of possible lab times will be circulated in connection with the lectures.
Lab # 5 is a computer lab in which the data from the gamma-gamma
coincidence measurement (lab # 4) is analyzed.
The lab manuals provided below must be studied carefully before each lab
in order to make efficient use of the time available.
Control questions may be asked by the lab assistant.
Laboratory exercises
 Radiation protection information (To be studied carefully before the first
laboration!)
 Alpha decay and spontaneous fission.
 Internal conversion.
 Mössbauer effect. Measuring the natural linewidth of an excited nuclear
state.
 Gamma-gamma coincidence measurement.
 Construction of a nuclear level scheme based on the laboration Gammagamma coincidence measurement.
Please sign up for lab exercises in Bilda
SUGGESTED COURSE LITERATURE:
K. Krane, Introductory Nuclear Physics, J. Wiley & Sons, 1988
N.A. Jelley, Fundamentals of Nuclear Physics, Oxford University Press, 1990
S.S.M. Wong, Introductory Nuclear Physics, 2nd Ed., J. Wiley& Sons, 1998
C.A. Bertulani, Nuclear Physics in a Nutshell, Princeton University Press, 2007
OTHER COURSE MATERIALS:
Lecture notes
Lab instructions
EXAMINATION will be in the form of a written examination and written
reports from the laboratory work.
Grades are determined based on the result of the written examination.
All lab reports must be accepted, but they are not graded.
Grading scheme for the written examination:
E: At least 50% correct answers.
D: At least 60% correct answers.
C: At least 70% correct answers.
B: At least 80% correct answers.
A: At least 90% correct answers.
Fx: 40 – 49% correct answers
Allowed materials during the written examination: Mathematical Handbook
(Råde and Westergren/Spiegel/Abramowitz and Stegun or similar), calculator,
writing materials.
Links to nuclear physics labs and resources:
European Science Foundation: NuPECC
US DOE: Nuclear Science Advisory Committee
Nuclear Physics Labs
RHIC, Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider
Lund Nuclear Data WWW Service
Brookhaven National Lab databases
Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute databases
Stone table of nuclear electromagnetic moments
Table of Isotopes WWW service
American Physical Society, Division of Nuclear Physics
Nuclear Physics European Collaboration Committee (NUPECC)
European Infrastructure Network: Frontiers in Nuclear Physics
Illustration of a calculation of q. m. barrier penetration using the WKB
approximation
Nuclear Physics News Items, compiled by the nuclear physics group,
University of Liverpool
Nuclear Astrophysics:
Nuclear Astrophysics Data - LBNL
Nuclear Astrophysics - LANL
Radiation protection:
Swedish Radiation Safety Authority
Nuclear medicine:
Society for nuclear medicine (USA)
Let's Play PET!
A few "popular" links:
ABC of nuclear physics
Glossary
Nuclear Science Wall chart
CPEP- Contemporary Physics Education Project
Nuclear Physics at the femto-scale (booklet on NP research in popular form)
DIPLOMA WORK IN NUCLEAR PHYSICS
CONTACTS:
Course coordinator and lecturer:
Bo Cederwall (phone 08-55378203)
Course assistant:
Farnaz Ghazi Moradi (55378199)
Nuclear Physics / KTH
Last updated 2012-01-11 / BC