ISTITUZIONI DI FISICA NUCLEARE E SUBNUCLEARE

Learning Objectives

• Introduction to Nuclear Physics

  Knowledge of the basic concepts on Nuclear Physics: Nuclear models, The radioactive decay law, Alpha, beta and gamma decay.

• subnuclear physics

  knowledge of subnuclear physics phenomenology, experiments and fundamental discoveries.

Detailed Course Content

• Introduction to Nuclear Physics

  Atoms and nuclei: Size and shape. Nuclear binding energy. Weisszacher formula. Nuclear instability. Spontaneous fission

  Decays: The radioactive decay law. Half-life. Multimodal decays. The production of radioactive material. Sequential decays. Transition rate. 14C dating method.

  Alpha decay: Coulomb barrier penetration. Gamow factor. Angular momentum barrier. Decay schemes involving alpha-particle emission.

  Nuclear Model: The nuclear binding energy. The liquid drop model. Shell modell. Nuclear energy levels. Wood-Saxon potential. Spin-orbit interaction. Magic numbers. Splitting of energy levels. Bound and virtual levels. Spin and parity.

  Nuclear spin and Moments: Nuclear spin. Magnetic and electric Moments. Bohr magneton. Nuclear magneton. Schmidt lines. Deformed Nuclei. Rotational and vibrational bands. Nilsson levels.

  Beta decay: Energy release in beta decay. Golden Rule n.2. Fermi Theory. Angular momentum and parity selection rules. Fermi (F) and Gamow-Teller allowed transitions. Forbidden decays. Beta spectrum, end-point. Kurie-plot.

  Gamma decay: Energetics of gamma decay. Classical electromagnetic radiation. Transition to quantum mechanics. Angular momentum and parity selection rules. Internal conversion. Weisskopf estimation.

  Nuclear collisions: Conservation laws. Energetics of nuclear reactions. Q-value. Reaction cross sections. Experimental technique. Scattering and resonances reactions.

• subnuclear physics
  • Basic concepts
  • Il concetto di particella e i suoi numeri quantic
    • particles and quantum numbers
    • Fermions and bosons. Particles and antiparticles
    • Yukawa Forces
    • Relativistic Kinematics
    • Natural units

  • Quark model and colors
    • Mesons and barions
    • Barion number, Isospin, Strangenes, Charmnes, Bottomnes, Topnes
    • colors;
    • asintotic freedom and confinement
    • hadron jets
    • vacuum polarization
    • J/Psi discovery
    • Charmonium and bottonium
    • Deep Inelastic Scattering e-e and e-p, Form factors, Structure function

  • weak interactions

  • beta decay
  • pion muon and kaon decay
  • parity violation
  • electroweak unification
  • Gargamelle experiments and neutral currents
  • UA1 e UA2 experiments - W and Z discovery

Textbook Information

• Introduction to Nuclear Physics
  1. H.A.Enge: Introduction to Nuclear Physics (Addison Wesley Pub.Co.)
  2. J.S.Lilley: Nuclear Physics- Principles and Applications (J.Wiley&Sons, Ltd)
  3. B. Povh, K. Rith, C. Scholz, F. Zetsche: Particelle e nuclei. Un' introduzione ai concetti fisici (Bollati Boringhieri)
  4. W .S.C. Williams: Nuclear and Particle Physics, (Claredon Press, Oxford)
• subnuclear physics
  1. Particle Physics, B.R. Martin, G. Shaw, John Wiley and Son
  2. D.H. Perkins, Introduction to High Energy Physics, D.H. Addison-Wesley