Chapters 12, 13 - Modern Physics
Chapter 10, 11 - Atomic Structure and Lifetimes
Nuclear Physics

Assignment in Chapter 12 of Krane's textbook:
  Questions 2, 4, 6 (Due date: Monday 3 April 2006)
  Questions 7, 8;   Problems 3, 4 (Due date: Wednesday 5 April 2006)
  Problems 7, 9, 12, 13 (Due date: Friday 7 April 2006)
  Questions 10, 14, 23;   Problem 29 (Due date: Wednesday 12 April 2006)
  Question 9;   Problems 15, 17, 37 (Due date: Friday 14 April 2006)
  Question 21;   Problem 38 (Due date: Monday 17 April 2006)

Assignment in Chapter 13 of Krane's textbook:
  Problems 5, 10 (Due date: Friday 21 April 2006)

Stability and abundance

  • Nucleon numbers
  • Structure of the nucleon
  • Stable isotopes
  • With superheavies
  • Island of stability
  • Instability and decay modes
  • Decay processes
  • PET scan
  • Radioactive decay chains
  • Masses and binding energies
  • Binding energy/nucleon
  • Energy release, fission and fusion
  • Fusion reactions

    • Semiempirical modeling of binding energy

  • Types of interactions
  • Liquid drop model
  • Proton-proton interaction
  • Volume under close-packing
  • Volume and surface
  • Electric repulsion
  • N objects taken 2 at a time
  • Neutron decay
  • Fission
  • Fusion

    • Assignment in Chapter 12 of Krane's textbook:   Questions 2, 4, 6 (Due date: Monday 3 April 2006)
        Question 12-2

    Applications of the model

  • Evaluation of constants
  • Most stable isobar
  • Parabolic minima
  • Mirror nuclides
  • Average distance within spherical volume
  • Estimation of nuclear radius
  • PET sources
  • PET protocol
  • Gravitational term
  • Estimates of size and mass
  • Exchanged gauge boson
  • Gauge bosons

    • Assignment in Chapter 12 of Krane's textbook:   Questions 7, 8;   Problems 3, 4 (Due date: Wednesday 5 April 2006)
        Problems 12-3 and 12-4
    Assignment in Chapter 12 of Krane's textbook:   Problems 7, 9, 12, 13 (Due date: Friday 7 April 2006)
        Problem 12-7     Problem 12-9     Problems 12-12, 12-13

    Barrier penetration and alpha decay

  • Barrier penetration
  • Penetration factor
  • KE and PE for alpha decay
  • Approximate by rectangular barrier
  • Transparency of rectangular barrier
  • Tries per second
  • Alpha particle motion within the nucleus
  • Alpha decay through Coulomb barrier
  • Low energy approximation

    • Leptons and beta decay

  • Leptons
  • Martin Perl - tau lepton
  • 2-body decays
  • 3-body decays
  • Muon-catalyzed fusion

    • Assignment in Chapter 12 of Krane's textbook:   Questions 10, 14, 23; Problem 29 (Due date: Wednesday 12 April 2006)
        Problem 12-29(a)     Internal motion     12-29(b)

    Radioactive chains and cascading

  • Halflife of dice
  • Multisided coins
  • Supported decay
  • Branched decay
  • Cascade and blending simulation
  • Rutherford's measurements
  • Coat-of-arms
  • continued

    • Assignment in Chapter 12 of Krane's textbook:   Question 9;   Problems 15, 17, 37 (Due date: Friday 14 April 2006)
        Problems 12-15 and 12-17    Problem 12-37   continued

    Cosmological, geological, and archaeological dating

  • Uranium-lead dating
  • Successive decay equilibrium
  • Carbon dating
  • Bristlecone movie
  • Bristle cone pine calibration
  • AMS - Shroud of Turin
  • J. Opt. A 6, 491 (2004) [3.4 MB]
  • Potassium-argon dating

    • Assignment in Chapter 12 of Krane's textbook:   Questions 21, 23;   Problem 38 (Due date: Monday 17 April 2006)
        Question 12-21     comment     Problem 12-38

    Diagrammatic mnemonic (Curtis Chapt. 10, pp.195-9)

  • Exponential decomposition
  • Exponential decay
  • Population equation
  • Example
  • Iterate
  • Cascade order
  • Diagrams
  • Application
  • Single cascade
  • Growing-in ambiguity

    • ANDC Analysis (Curtis Chapt. 10, pp. 200-202)

  • ANDC analysis
  • Parametric plot
  • Grotrian plot
  • A personal recollection
  • Indirect cascading
  • Ne calibration
  • Unseen decay curve

    • Energy calculations

  • Cross section
  • Beam-target kinematics
  • Endoergic reactions
  • Exoergic reactions

    • Driven excitation

  • Formulation
  • Parts integration
  • Iteration formulation
  • Successive application
  • Impulsive, stepwise & rectangularly pulsed excitation
  • Gaussian excitation
  • Phase-shift analysis
  • Modulated excitation
  • Phase shifts without/with cascades

    • The exponential decay law

  • History of the exponential law
  • Limitations of exponential law
  • Experimental verification
  • Is it decay or only disintegration?
  • Jakobovits et al
  • Merzbacher
  • Quantum beats
  • Mercouris and Nicolaides
  • Webster
  • Aphorisms
  • Literary wisdom

    • Assignment in Chapter 13 of Krane's textbook:   Problems 5, 10 (Due date: Friday 21 April 2006
        Problem 13-5     Problem 13-10

    Implications of uncontrolled growth

  • The energy crisis
  • Energy supply estimates
  • Hubbert's candle
  • The end is in sight
  • Link to logistic curve
  • Logistic equation
  • Population data
  • Clock
  • Interating the logistic equation
  • Chaotic behavior
  • Mandelbrot set
  • Self-symmetry

    Chap.1   Chap.2   Chap.3   Bridge A   Chap.4   Bridge B   Chap.5/7

    Chapter 6/8
    Chapter 9
    Chapter 10
    Chapter 11
    Chapter 14
    Chapter 15

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