General Information:
Lecturer: Susan Gardner
Office: Chem-Phys 387B
Phone: 257-4391
E-mail: gardner@pa.uky.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday 3-4:00 PM
Required Textbooks:
M.A. Preston and R.K. Bhaduri, Structure of the Nucleus
(Addison-Wesley, 1975).
Barry R. Holstein, Weak Interactions in Nuclei (Princeton, 1989).
Physics 629 is a introductory theoretical course in nuclear physics. The gross features of nuclei will be characterized, and the microscopic features of the nucleon-nucleon interaction which give rise to the phenomena observed will be investigated. Nuclei can also be viewed as an unique environment in which to test the Standard Model of electroweak interactions; this theme will be developed in the latter half of the course.
Knowledge of quantum mechanics, at the level of Physics 614 and 615, is required. Particularly useful topics to recall are phase shifts, angular momentum algebra, and Fermi's Golden Rule. Acquaintance with the Dirac equation will likely be useful in the later parts of the course, though necessary information will be reviewed.
A bevy of texts, of varying sophistication and coverage of applications, exist in the literature. An annotated bibliography of them has been included in the course web site. The above books, as well as selections from the bibliography just mentioned, have been placed on reserve in the Chem-Phys library. The lectures will borrow heavily, though not exclusively, from the two required texts.
Your grade will be determined in the following manner: from problem sets (80%) and from an oral presentation of a research paper of your choice (20%).
The bulk of the grade in the course is associated with the problem sets, and rightly so. Working significant problem sets is necessary to develop a genuine understanding of the material. You may discuss the problems with others, and even collaborate, but you are required to write out your solutions independently. The problem sets will be issued in approximately two-week intervals, and late work will not be accepted.
In lieu of a final examination, you are asked to choose a research paper(s) of interest to you within the sphere of topics touched upon in Physics 629 (please see me for advice and/or suggestions) and then to present that topic in a 30 minute presentation. We will have our presentations beginning at 2:00 PM, December 10, in the small conference room on the third floor.
TENTATIVE Course Plan Minding Burns' "best-laid plans," here's a tentative course plan for P629. Some material may very well take longer to explicate and thus not all may be covered.
Introduction and Overview
Gross Features: Liquid Drop Behavior and Shell Structure
Nuclear Shell Model
Nucleon-Nucleon Interaction; Few-Body Systems
Microscopic Theory of Nuclear Matter
Weak Interactions in Baryons and Nuclei
Low Energy Tests of the Standard Model
Return to
the P629 Main Page....
Go to the Physics & Astronomy Home Page....
This page was created by Susan Gardner and was last updated on August 27, 1998.