Nuclear Physics-1 & 2: Course Outline (PHY-421)

Basic concept: History and overview, some introductory terminology, units and dimensions. Nuclear properties: The nuclear radius, mass and abundance of nuclides, nuclear binding energy, nuclear angular momentum and parity, nuclear electromagnetic moments, nuclear excited states.

The forces between nucleons: The nucleon-nucleon scattering, proton-proton and neutron-neutron interactions, properties of the nuclear forces, the exchange force model.

Nuclear models: The shell model, the liquid drop model, more realistic nuclear models. Radioactive decay: The radioactive decay law, production and decay of radioactivity, growth of daughter activities, types of decays, natural radioactivity.

Nuclear reactions: Types of reactions and conservation laws, energetics of nuclear reactions, reaction cross sections.

Nuclear fission: Why nuclei fission, characteristics of fission, energy in fission, controlled fission reactions, fission reactors.

Nuclear fusion: Basic fusion processes, characteristics of fusion, solar fusion, controlled fusion reactors, thermonuclear weapons.

Accelerators: Electrostatic accelerators, cyclotron accelerators, synchrotrons, linear accelerators, colliding-beam accelerators