Physics 467b - 519b: Atomic and Nuclear Physics II

Instructor:

J. D. Landstreet, Room 213D, Physics & Astronomy Building
Office: 661- 2111 ext 86707
E-mail me here
Office Hours: Drop in. If I'm not busy, we can talk then; otherwise, we'll make an appointment - or ask for a time by e-mail.
My personal Web page

Physics 467b - 519b. Atomic and Nuclear Physics II. Interactions of atoms and molecules with each other and with electromagnetic fields, nuclear shell model, nuclear reactions.
Pre-requisite: Physics 351a (Quantum Mechanics I)
3 lecture hours

The course will focus on the basic theory of how atoms, molecules, and nuclei interact with radiation, and how nuclei react with one another and decay
The main goal will be to understand experimental phenomena at the atomic and subatomic level with simple theory

For the atomic and molecular part of the course, we will use "Physics of Atoms & Molecules" by B. H. Bransden and C. J. Joachain (Longmans, 1983). It is out of print, so you wil not be able to buy it, but there are enough copies around the department that everyone should have access to one.
For the nuclear part of the course, we will use "An Introduction to Nuclear Physics", 2nd edition, by W. N. Cottingham and D. A. Greenwood (Cambridge, 2001). This is required, but should cost (only...) about $50.
Since most of you also already have copies of "Quantum Mechanics of Atoms, Molecules, Nuclei and Particles" by R. Eisberg and R. Resnick (Wiley, 1985) you may want to refer to this text frequently to get your bearings before jumping into the somewhat more advanced books used in this course.

The one-electron atom in the EM field. Time-dependent perturbation theory and Fermi's Golden Rule. Transition probablities.
Molecular structure of diatomic molecules. Rotation-vibration levels and electronic levels.
Spectra of diatomic moelcules. Vibration-rotation spectra, electronic spectra, homonuclear molecules.
Summary of modern views of the electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions.
Nuclear sizes and masses. Energetics of decays; the valley of beta stability. Ground-state properties of nuclei (binding energies, dipole and quadrupole moments) and the shell model.
Elementary theory of alpha decay. Fission. Excited states of nuclei: how they arise, how they decay, and how they are observed.
Nuclear reactions and the Breit-Wigner formula. Resonant reactions. Nuclear fission, chain reactions, and reactors. Nuclear power.
Nuclear fusion in laboratories and in the sun. Nucleosynthesis in stars.
Fermi's theory of beta decay. Electron capture. Theory of gamma decay and internal conversion. Neutrinos: cross sections, masses, and mixing. The solar neutrino "problem".

Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO)
Oak Ridge Nuclear Data Project