Nuclear and Particle Physics

Year
3
Academic year
2023-2024
Code
01019480
Subject Area
Physics
Language of Instruction
Portuguese
Mode of Delivery
Face-to-face
Duration
SEMESTRIAL
ECTS Credits
6.0
Type
Compulsory
Level
1st Cycle Studies

Recommended Prerequisites

Quantum Mechanics I and II, Foundations of Modern Physics.

Teaching Methods

Lectures with exposure of concepts and fundamental theories, and discussion of practical applications of these concepts.
Problem solving classes with typical examples of the subjects under  study;
Laboratory classes.

Learning Outcomes

In the specific area of the discipline (Nuclear Physics and Particle), students should acquire skills to: understand the physical phenomena involved and deepen this knowledge; solve problems using the acquired knowledge; communicate (with specialists and non-specialists) the interpretation of questions and solutions to problems.

Generic skills to achieve: Information management competence; Competence in analysis and synthesis; Competence to communicate with people who are not experts in the field; Adaptability to new situations; Concern sustainable development; Competence to apply in practice the theoretical knowledge.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

The fundamental interactions. Particle classification.
Radioactivity alpha, beta, gamma and electron capture; nuclear fission and fusion.
Nuclear force. Mass of the nucleus and binding energy. Yukawa theory.
Liquid drop model. Semi-empirical mass formula (Weizsäcker) and nuclear stability. Model Fermi gas. Density of states, Fermi momentum and energy. Alpha decay. Gamow theory, selection rules and other tunneling processes. Shell model. Spin-orbit interaction. Magnetic dipole moment, electric quadrupole moment, deformed nuclei, collective excitations.
Electromagnetic transitions. Selection rules and transition probabilities. Isomerism.
Weak interaction. Beta decay. Fermi beta decay model.
Standard Model. Feynman diagrams. Propagators. Weak interaction and field bosons. Leptons and quarks. Quantum chromodynamics (gluons). Asymptotic freedom. Violation of P and CP.
Nuclear fission and fusion.

Head Lecturer(s)

João Carlos Lopes Carvalho

Assessment Methods

Continuous assessment
Resolution Problems: 10.0%
Laboratory work or Field work: 20.0%
Frequency: 30.0%
Exam: 40.0%

Final assessment
Resolution Problems: 10.0%
Laboratory work or Field work: 20.0%
Exam: 70.0%

Bibliography

K. Krane, Introductory Nulcear Physics, John Wiley and Sons, 1987

R. Eisberg and R. Resnick, Quantum Physics of atoms, molecules, solids, nuclei and particles (2nd edition), John Wiley and Sons, 1985

T. Mayer-Kuckuk, Física Nuclear, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1993

W. S. C. Williams, Nuclear and Particle Physics, Oxford University Press, 1991.