Nuclear and Particle Physics
Nuclei, radioactivity and the Standard Model of particle physics, developed from the measured properties of nuclei to the frontier of particle physics: the length and energy scales of the subatomic world and binding energies from atomic masses; nuclear size from electron scattering and the Woods–Saxon density, nuclear spins and moments, the nucleon-nucleon force and Yukawa's meson theory; the semi-empirical mass formula, the valley of stability, magic numbers and the shell model with spin-orbit coupling; the decay law, Bateman chains and the technetium-99m generator, alpha decay and gamma transitions; beta decay, Fermi's theory, the Kurie plot, the neutrino, parity violation and direct neutrino-mass measurements; reaction Q-values, thresholds, cross-sections, compound-nucleus and direct reactions and Breit–Wigner resonances; fission and fusion as energy sources, including CANDU and light-water reactors, delayed neutrons, decay heat, spent fuel and the Lawson criterion; hydrogen burning in the Sun, solar neutrinos, the origin of the elements, radiocarbon and uranium-lead dating, PET imaging and radiation therapy; how particles interact with matter, detectors from germanium crystals to collider calorimeters, and cyclotrons, synchrotrons and colliders; leptons, hadrons and the conservation laws of baryon number, lepton number and strangeness, isospin and the eightfold way; quarks, color, deep inelastic scattering and quantum chromodynamics with asymptotic freedom and confinement; and a capstone on the Standard Model, the Higgs mechanism and the discovery of the Higgs boson, neutrino oscillations and the open questions beyond, with runnable Python examples throughout.
PHYS-420 Year 4 3 credits 12 lessons · 4 h 31 min ▶ Video lessons coming soon
Offered by HSM University · Physics
This is the American version of this course. See the Canadian version.
What you'll learn
- Describe the length and energy scales of nuclear and particle physics, compute binding energies from atomic masses, and explain what the curve of binding energy implies for fission and fusion.
- Explain how electron scattering, muonic atoms and mirror nuclei measure nuclear size, describe the Woods–Saxon density, and summarize the properties of the nucleon-nucleon force and Yukawa's meson theory.
- Apply the semi-empirical mass formula to binding energies and the valley of stability, and use the shell model with spin-orbit coupling to explain magic numbers and predict ground-state spins and parities.
- Apply the decay law and Bateman equations to decay chains and medical generators, compute alpha-decay Q-values and energies, and classify gamma transitions by multipole.
- Explain beta decay with Fermi's theory, interpret the beta spectrum and Kurie plot, apply Sargent's rule and selection rules, and describe the neutrino, parity violation and direct neutrino-mass measurements.
- Compute reaction Q-values and thresholds, use cross-sections and attenuation, distinguish compound-nucleus and direct reactions, and analyze resonances with the Breit–Wigner formula.
- Explain the energy release in fission and fusion, the operation and safety of power reactors including delayed neutrons and decay heat, the management of spent fuel, and the Lawson criterion for fusion.
- Describe hydrogen burning, solar neutrinos and the origin of the elements, and apply nuclear physics to radiometric dating, PET imaging and radiation therapy.
- Explain how charged particles and photons interact with matter, how gas, scintillation, semiconductor, Cherenkov and calorimeter detectors work, and how cyclotrons, synchrotrons and colliders accelerate particles.
- Classify particles as leptons and hadrons, apply conservation laws of baryon number, lepton number and strangeness to decide which processes occur, and describe isospin and the eightfold way.
- Build hadrons from quarks, explain color and its experimental evidence, interpret deep inelastic scattering, and describe asymptotic freedom and confinement in quantum chromodynamics.
- Summarize the particles and forces of the Standard Model, explain the Higgs mechanism and the discovery of the Higgs boson, compute neutrino oscillation probabilities, and identify the main open questions beyond the Standard Model.
Course content
12 lessons · 4 h 31 min total · final exam
- 1 Why nuclear and particle physics: the structure of matter at the smallest scales 21 min · quiz
- 2 Nuclear properties: size, mass, spin and the nuclear force 21 min · quiz
- 3 Nuclear models: the liquid drop and the shell model 22 min · quiz
- 4 Radioactive decay: alpha, beta and gamma 22 min · quiz
- 5 Beta decay, neutrinos and the weak interaction 23 min · quiz
- 6 Nuclear reactions: kinematics, Q-values and cross-sections 22 min · quiz
- 7 Fission and fusion as energy sources 26 min · quiz
- 8 Nuclear astrophysics and applications: nucleosynthesis, medical isotopes and dating 23 min · quiz
- 9 Detectors and accelerators 22 min · quiz
- 10 Particles and symmetries: leptons, hadrons and conservation laws 22 min · quiz
- 11 Quarks, color and the strong interaction 23 min · quiz
- 12 Capstone: the Standard Model, the Higgs boson and beyond 24 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Requirements
Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.
Description
Nuclei, radioactivity and the Standard Model of particle physics, developed from the measured properties of nuclei to the frontier of particle physics: the length and energy scales of the subatomic world and binding energies from atomic masses; nuclear size from electron scattering and the Woods–Saxon density, nuclear spins and moments, the nucleon-nucleon force and Yukawa's meson theory; the semi-empirical mass formula, the valley of stability, magic numbers and the shell model with spin-orbit coupling; the decay law, Bateman chains and the technetium-99m generator, alpha decay and gamma transitions; beta decay, Fermi's theory, the Kurie plot, the neutrino, parity violation and direct neutrino-mass measurements; reaction Q-values, thresholds, cross-sections, compound-nucleus and direct reactions and Breit–Wigner resonances; fission and fusion as energy sources, including CANDU and light-water reactors, delayed neutrons, decay heat, spent fuel and the Lawson criterion; hydrogen burning in the Sun, solar neutrinos, the origin of the elements, radiocarbon and uranium-lead dating, PET imaging and radiation therapy; how particles interact with matter, detectors from germanium crystals to collider calorimeters, and cyclotrons, synchrotrons and colliders; leptons, hadrons and the conservation laws of baryon number, lepton number and strangeness, isospin and the eightfold way; quarks, color, deep inelastic scattering and quantum chromodynamics with asymptotic freedom and confinement; and a capstone on the Standard Model, the Higgs mechanism and the discovery of the Higgs boson, neutrino oscillations and the open questions beyond, with runnable Python examples throughout.
Part of the Science stream, typically taken in year 4.