Nuclear Physics

An Introduction

Tony Sumaryada, Ph.D

Series Lectures on Nuclear Physics
Department of Physics IPB Lecture 3
 Nuclear Parameters
 Static properties
Electric charge, mass, radius, binding energy, angular momentum, parity,
magnetic dipole, electric quadrupole moments, energies of excited states

 Dynamic properties
Decay probabilities, reaction probabilities
Is it possible that electron resides inside the nucleus ?

 Size of nucleus wavelength (localization) :

 Size of electron’s wave length (localization) :

Impossible for electron to reside inside the nucleus !

Range of interaction based on the mediating particle

 Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle :

 How far this exchange particle travel without violating

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle ?

 By assuming the exchange particle travel with a speed of

light, then

 Using E=mc2 then the range of interaction of the exchange

particle is :
 Quiz
 The effective range of weak force is 10-18 m,
predict the maximum mass of weak
interaction exchange particles of Z0, W+, W-
bosons ?
 Answer

 The actual mass of W is 80.38 Gev/c2

 And for Z is 91.19 Gev/c2
Strong Force
 The range of nuclear force can not exceed the
size of nucleus→ otherwise would affect
excellent agreement between theory and
experimental atomic physics
 The range of nuclear force limited to the size of
nuclei : less than the nuclear radius ( < 1.4 fm)
 Attractive on the distance scale of 1.0 fm to
overcome the EM repulsion of protons
 Repulsive on the distance scale of less than 0.5
fm
 The strong force is charge independent means
that pn = pp = nn
 Yukawa description of Nuclear force
 In electromagnetic interactions, Coulomb force can be
represented by :
 In Nuclear force Yukawa proposed similar form for Nuclear
force

 Where m is the mass of mediator particle. The wave length

of this mediating particle is :

 If we know that the range of nuclear force is around 1.2 fm

then the mass of this mediating particle is :
 Nuclear Force

 Yukawa model→ Screened nuclear force

with coupling constant g
 origin of nuclear force →Strong interactions
between quarks
 Charge Independence of the Nuclear Binding Energy

A Nucleus Total B E Coulomb Energy Net Nuclear

(Mev) (MeV) B E (MeV)
3 3H -8.486 0 -8.486

3He -7.723 0.829 -8.552

23 23Na -97.10 7.631 -104.734

23Mg -94.10 10.683 -104.770

Two Nucleon Systems
 Neutron-neutron system :
unbound and comes apart
easily, free neutrons decay in10
minutes
 Proton-proton : unstable due
to coulomb repulsion and
break apart even faster
 Proton-neutron :stable and
naturally occuring, spin of n
and p allign paralel in ground
state configuration, non
spherical structure
 Nuclear labeling
 A ZX
 with X=symbol for elements
 Z=atomic number (number of protons)
 A=mass number (the number of nucleons
and A=Z+N)
 N=the number of neutrons
 Nuclear Isomers
 Isotopes : nuclei with equal Z but different A (the same
element but with different mass).
Ex : 11650Sn and 13250Sn
 Isobars : nuclei with equal A but different Z (the same
mass but different element). Ex : 2311Na and 2312Mg
 Isotones : nuclei with equal N
Ex : 86Kr, 88Sr, 89Y, 90Zr, 92Mo (equal N=50)
 Isodiaphers : equal N-Z
Ex : 168O and 147N for both N-Z=0
Ex: 23490Th and and 23892U for both N-Z=54
 Mirror nuclei Z→N
Ex : 146C (Z=6, N=8) and 148O (Z=8, N=6)
Experimental Facts about Nuclear
 Nuclear chart : 275 stable nuclei with 60% even-
even system and 40% of even-odd or odd-even
 Only 5 odd-odd nuclei is stable naturally i.e : 21H,
6 Li, 10 B, 14 N, 50 Va
3 5 7 23
Experimental Facts about Nuclear
 Nuclei with an even number of protons have a
large number of stable isotopes
50Sn (10 isotopes), 48Cd (8 isotopes), 52Te (8
isotopes)

 The stable nuclei with with odd number of

protons i.e 47Ag (2 isotopes), 51Sb (2 isotopes),
45Rh (1 isotop), 49In (1 isotope), 53I ( 1 isotope)

 Almost equal number of stable even-odd and odd-

even nuclei
Nuclear Stability
 Neutron rich nuclei (N > Z) : nucleus will
decay to reach stability. N >> Z neutron
drip line

 Proton rich nuclei (N < Z) : nucleus will

decay or electron capture to achieve
stability. N << Z (proton drip line, rarely
occured)
Pairing of Nucleons
leads to Nuclear
Stability
Pairing itself is not sufficient to achieve stability

 Since the Coulomb repulsion of protons

grows with Z2 :

 Nuclear attractive force must compensate

so all stable nuclei with Z > 20 contain
more neutrons than protons
 Nuclear Binding Energy
 Mass of nucleus m(N, Z)=Z.mp + N.mn –BE
 Or BE = Z.mp +N.mn – m(N,Z)

 BE is very important for

a) forces between nucleons
b) stability of nucleus
c) energy released or required in nuclear
decays
 Binding Energy of nucleons
 Binding energy of nucleon is relatively constant which means BE
is not growing linearly with A. Nucleon only interact with its
neighbour→ saturation of nuclear force
Grafik Hubungan Nomor Massa (A) VS Energi Ikat
per Nukleon (BE/A)
8.9 MeV 10

9
Energi Ikat per Nukleon (BE/A) MeV

7.4 MeV 6

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Nomor Massa (A)
 General Properties of Nuclei
 Nuclear radius grows as the nuclei getting bigger r=roA1/3
 The charge distribution inside the nucleus is almost
uniform
Skin thickness dL

Half density radius RL

 General Properties of Nuclei
 Neutron feels no effective force until reaches surface of nucleus :
constant attractive force at interior of nucleus
 Proton repulsions as approches nucleus : constant attractive force at
interior of nucleus, coloumbic repulsion from other protons decreases
depth potential well relative to the neutron well
HW #2 (due on next week)
 Jean-Louis Basdevant page 62
 Problem # 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9