Course name: Nuclear and elementary particle physics

Course status: compulsory

Course language: polish

Name of the teacher: prof. dr hab. Piotr Magierski

Semester: 8

Number of hours: 3/ 0/ _ (Lect/Classes/Lab)

Code:

Number of ECTS credits:

Pre-requsites: Quantum Mechanics

Form of completion: Exam (written)

Assessment methods: Final grade reflects students knowledge and understanding of the

presented material.

Aims of the course: During the course student gets acquainted with basics of elementary particle physics: particle properties and conservation laws in elementary particle reactions. Moreover he/she learns about properties of strong interaction and properties of atomic nuclei. After completing the course student is able to estimate binding energy of a given nucleus, determine some properties of its ground state and low-energy excitations, as well as determine possible decay channels.

Program:

1. Introduction to elementary particle physics

Classification of elementary particles.
Basic properties of fundamental interactions.
Quantum numbers and conservation laws.

2. Nucleon-nucleon interaction
General form of nucleon-nucleon potential in vacuum.
Deuteron properties.
Nucleon-nucleon interaction in nuclear matter: Bethe-Goldstone equation.
Special solution of Bethe-Goldstone equation: pairing effect.

3. Basic properties of atomic nuclei

Size of atomic nuclei, nucleon density distribution in atomic nucleus.
Nuclear binding energy, liquid drop formula.
Stability of atomic nuclei: alpha decay, beta decay, fission.

4. Nuclear models

Fermi gas model: symmetry energy, density of states.
Shell model: magic numbers, shell effects.
Determination of nuclear mean-field potential using Hartree-Fock method.
Collective models: rotations, vibrations of atomic nuclei.

5. Nuclear reactions

Pick-up reactions.
Reactions through compound nucleus.
Direct reactions. Optical models.
Heavy-ion collisions at high energies: particle production.
Synthesis of elements in nature: synthesis of light elements, supernova explosion, r-process.

Basic literature:

1. B.Nerlo-Pomorska, K.Pomorski, Wybrane działy teorii jądra atomu.

2. G.E. Brown, Unified Theory of Nuclear Models and Forces (North Holland Publ. Co., Amsterdam, 1967) – polish translation exists.

3. A.Bohr, B.Mottelson, Struktura jądra atomowego, t.I,II.

4. E.Leader, E.Predazzi, Wstęp do teorii oddziaływań kwarków i leptonów.

5. D.H. Perkins, Wstęp do fizyki wysokich energii, PWN 2004.