Nuclear and Particle PhysicsG Chapter-I: Nuclear Structure and General Properties of Nuclei © Constituents of na + Atomic nuclei are composed of two different types of elementary particles-protons and neutrons. Collectively, the neutrons and protons are referred to as nucleons. + The proton is identified as the nucleus of the lightest and the commonest isotope of hydrogen. It carries one electronic charge, +¢ and has mass about 1836 times the electronic mass, m,. + The neutron, on the other hand, possesses no charge-electrically neutral. Its mass is almost equal to, but slightly more than, the mass of the proton. + The electronic mass is negligibly small. + According to Coulomb's law, the positively charged protons, closely spaced within the nucleus, should repel each other strongly and they should fly apart. Nucleons (protons ard neutrons) are held together under the influence of very strong short range attractive force. This force is different from ‘commonly known forces like gravitational or electrical and is classified as strong interactions. * The number of protons in the nucleus determines the atomic number of the nuclide. + The sum of the numbers of protons (Z:) and neutrons (N) inside the nucleus is mass numbes A ie A=N+Z + The neutron number N is therefore given by N = A-Z + Anucleus of an atom X of atomic number Z and a mass number A, that is, a nuclide is symbolically represented by 4X. @ Isotopes, Isobars, Isotones and Mirror nuclei: + Nuclei with same atomic number Z, but different mass number A are called isotopes. Example: and ",Li, ®, Ne and”, Ne. + Nuclei with the same mass number A but different atomic number Z are called isobars. Example: 160 and !°N.. + Nuclei with the same number of neutrons, that is having the same N, are known as isotone. Example: ??Na and /{Mg + The pairs of isobaric nuclei such as ((}C and 'B), (Nand °C) are known as mirror nuclei in which the proton number Z and the neutron number N are interchanged and differ by one unit. @ Nuclear mass and binding energy: + ‘The nuclear mass M,__is obtained from the atomic mass M(A, Z) by subtracting the masses of Z orbital electrons ic. May. =M(A,Z)-Zm, + The above expression however isnot exact in that the binding energies of the electrons have not been taken into consideration, In forming a nucleus out of the constituent particle, a fraction of the total mass of the constituents disappears and the evaluation of energy equal to E, takes place. If AM be the amount of mass disappeared, then binding energy, Eq =AMc? + If My,M, be the masses of hydrogen atom and the neutron respectively, then AM = ZM, +NM,—M(A,Z) where M(A, Z) is the mass of the atom of mass number A and atomic number Z. ‘Therefore, Ep =[ZMy+NM,-M(A,Z)]o? =[ZM, +NM, +Zm, ~Maye—Zm, Jo? =[zM, 4NM,—Mouc |e?