MMath&Phys Mathematics and Physics

Nuclear Structure and Exotic Nuclei

Follow - Up Units

PHYS40622 - Nuclear Forces and Reactions

• To introduce major components of modern research in nuclear physics.
• To provide a suitable introduction to students who will undertake research in the subject.
 

On completion successful students will be able to:

1.  demonstrate a knowledge of physics themes characterising recent advances in nuclear physics.

2.  demonstrate knowledge andbe able to explain in detail the significance of results from recent and current experiments.

3.  demonstrate knowledge of and explain the physics behind the facilities and techniques used by nuclear physicists.

4. demonstrate knowledge of and apply the basic models used to describe nuclear structure.

1. Review of nuclear models                         (1 lecture)
Liquid drop model and independent particle shell model

2. The nuclear shell model         (5 lectures)
Fermi gas ; Residual force ; Hartree Fock ; Effective interactions ; two-particle states ; full CI ; spectra near closed shell ; pairing

3. Collective Phenomena in nuclei        (5 lectures)
Liquid drop model. Fermi gas. Mean field. Deformation. Vibrational and rotational motion. Super and hyper deformation.

4. Weakly-bound quantum systems and exotic nuclei      (8 lectures)
physics at the proton and neutron drip line; new decays modes – proton decay, beta-delayed proton and neutron emission; fission limit and super-heavy elements, production, detection and properties.

5. Radioactive ion beams (RIBs)         (2 lectures)
production by in-flight and ISOL techniques; FAIR, SPIRAL-2 and HIE-ISOLDE.

6. Experimental techniques and recent results       (2 lectures)
Coulomb excitation of RIBs; transfer reactions in inverse kinematics; fragmentation experiments.
 

Feedback will be available on students’ individual written solutions to examples sheets, which will be marked, and model answers will be issued.

K. Heyde, Basic Ideas and Concepts in Nuclear Physics (IOP 2nd Edition)

            
Part C+D: Nuclear Structure: Recent Developments