Suggested Reference Texts:
G. Choppin, J.O. Liljenzin and J. Rydberg, "Radiochemistry and Nuclear Chemistry", 2nd Edn., Butterworth-Heinemann, 1996. This book is recommended for the course.
W.D. Ehmann and D.E. Vance, "Radiochemistry and Nuclear Methods of Analysis", Wiley Interscience, 1991.
G. Friedlander, J.W. Kennedy, E.S. Macias and J.M. Miller, "Nuclear and Radiochemistry", Wiley Interscience, 1981.
B.G. Harvey, "Introduction to Nuclear Physics and Chemistry", Prentice Hall, 1969.
Outline
I.BASIC NUCLEAR CONCEPTS
A. Historical Perspective.
B. Rutherford Scattering and the Nuclear Size.
II.NUCLEAR MASSES, STABILITIES AND DENSITIES
A. Relativistic Mass-Energy, E=mc2.
B. Nuclear Masses and Binding Energies.
C. Nuclear Forces and Densities. The B.E./Nucleon.
D. The Q Value. Nuclear Stabilities and Separation Energies.
III.RADIOACTIVE DECAY AND GROWTH
A. Simple Radioactivity.
1. The basic process activity and
2. Determination of activity and half-lives.
B. More Complex (Multistep) Decay Processes.
1. Sequential Decay. Secular and Transient equilibrium.
2. Branching Decay. Partial Lifetimes.
3. Decay chains and Chart of the Nuclides.
C. Radioisotope Production by Nuclear Bombardment.
D. Radiotracer Methods. Nuclear Medicine.
E. Error Propagation. Poisson Statistics.
IV.NUCLEAR SPINS AND MOMENTS
A. Spin and Angular Momentum.
1. Orbital and total angular momentum.
2. Angular Momentum and Spin-Orbit Coupling.
3. Angular momentum and parity. Nuclear spin systematics.
B. Magnetic Dipole Moment.
1. Orbital magnetic moments.
2. Spin magnetic moments. Total J moments.
C. Electric Quadrupole Moment.
1. The intrinsic nuclear quadrupole moment.
2. The measurable quadrupole moment.
V.NUCLEAR MODELS
A. The Nuclear Shell Model.
1. Review of atomic-shell model.
2. The nuclear potential. Energy levels-spins and parities.
B. The Nuclear Collective Model.
1. Evidence for collective motion from Quadrupole moments.
2. Energy spectra of deformed nuclei.
C. The Liquid Drop Model. Spontaneous Fission.
VI.BASIC NUCLEAR PROCESSES AND NUCLEAR SPECTROSCOPY
A. Elementary Concept of a Transition Probability.
1. The width of a radiating state.
2. The transition probability.
B. Nuclear Gamma (g ) Decay.
1. g decay selection rules. Transitions vs. static moments.
2. g Ray lifetimes. Weisskopf estimates.
3. The internal conversion process.
4. Mössbauer effect.
C. Nuclear Beta (b ) Decay.
1. Basic process. Why a neutrino?
2. Angular momentum and b decay selection rules. Log ft values.
3. Parity violation in the weak interaction. Muon decay.
4. Muonium chemistry (at TRIUMF).
D. Nuclear Alpha (a ) Decay.
1. Energetics of the decay process.
2. Elementary concepts of barrier penetrability.
3. The emission of other charged particles.
VII.NUCLEAR REACTIONS
A. Kinematics and Cross Sections.
1. Laboratory and center-of-mass energies.
2. Q values and threshold energies.
3. Scattering and cross sections.
B. Nuclear Reaction Mechanisms.
1. The Compound Nucleus - formation and decay.
2. Spallation reactions and p /µ production (at TRIUMF).
C. Nuclear Fission and Fusion.
1. The basic process. Nuclear cosmology and Nucleosynthesis.
2. Neutron-induced fission. Nuclear power.
3. Cold fusion. Muon (µ-) catalyzed fusion.
VIII.INTERACTION OF RADIATION WITH MATTER
A. The Stoping of Charged Particles.
1. Heavy charged particles. The Bethe-Bloch formula.
2. Energy loss and range.
3. Electron stopping-energy loss and range.
B. The Interaction of Neutrons and Photons with Matter.
1. Basic processes in the stopping of g -rays.
2. The absorption coefficient and intensity of stopping photons.
3. The Interaction of Neutrons with Matter.
C. Radiation Dosimetry and Protection.
IX.APPLICATIONS IN CHEMISTRY
- Radiotracer Methods. Nuclear Medicine.
- Nuclear Activation Analysis.
- Ion Beam and Rutherford Scattering Analysis.
- Position Annihilation and Emission Tomography (PET).
- Muons and Muonium Chemistry.
- Nuclear Dating Methods.
- Geo-and Cosmochronology.