Readings

This page lists the assigned readings in textbooks, plus supplemental readings on selected topics.

[Krane] = Krane, Kenneth S. Introductory Nuclear Physics. 3rd ed. John Wiley & Sons, 1987. ISBN: 9780471805533.

[Griffiths] = Griffiths, David J. Introduction to Quantum Mechanics. 2nd ed. Addison-Wesley, 2004. ISBN: 9780131118928.

LEC # TOPICS READINGS
1–2

1. Introduction to Nuclear Physics

  • Nuclear nomenclature
  • Binding energy and Semi-empirical mass formula (SEMF)
  • Radioactive decay

[Krane] Sect. 3.1, 3.3; 6.1, 6.3, 6.4, and 6.5

Supplemental

Original paper introducing the SEMF: Weizsäcker, C. F. v. "Zur Theorie der Kernmassen." Zeitschrift für Physik 96, no. 7–8 (1935): 431–58.
3–6

2. Introduction to Quantum Mechanics

  • Laws of quantum mechanics
  • States, operators, and eigenvalues
  • Measurement and probability
  • Energy eigenvalue problem
  • Operators and Uncertainty problem

[Griffiths] Ch. 1; Sect. 2.1, 2.4; Ch. 3

Supplemental

Short review of the Fourier transform (PDF)

Short review of linear algebra: Introduction to Eigenvalues (This resource may not render correctly in a screen reader.PDF)

Strang, Gilbert. Introduction to Linear Algebra. 4th ed. Wellesley-Cambridge Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780980232714. As used in MIT class 18.06 Linear Algebra.

Cox, P. A. "Electron Spin and the Pauli Exclusion Principle." Chapter 5.3 in Introduction to Quantum Theory and Atomic Structure. Oxford University Press, 1996, pp. 76–9. ISBN: 9780198559160.

Greiner, Walter. Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction. 4th ed. Springer, 2000. ISBN: 9783540674580. [Preview with Google Books]

  • Sect. 1.6, p. 5
  • Sect. 3.5–3.6, pp. 46–50
  • Sect. 4.1–4.4, pp. 67–76

Sakurai, J. J., and J. J. Napolitano. Sections 1.1 and 1.2 in Modern Quantum Mechanics. 2nd ed. Addison-Wesley, 2010. ISBN: 9780805382914.
7–8

3. Radioactive Decay, Part I

  • Scattering and tunneling in quantum mechanics
  • Alpha decay

[Griffiths] Ch. 2.5

[Krane] Ch. 8.1–8.4
9–13

4. Energy Levels

  • Bound problems
  • Quantum mechanics in 3D: angular momentum
  • Identical particles

[Griffiths] Sect. 2.2, 2.6; Ch. 4; Sect. 5.1, 5.2

Supplemental

"The Free Particle." Section 2.4 in [Griffiths].
14–16

5. Nuclear Structure

  • Characteristics of the nuclear force
  • The deuteron
  • Nuclear models
 [Krane] Sect. 4.1, 4.4
17–18

6. Time Evolution in Quantum Mechanics

  • Time-dependent Schrödinger equation
  • Fermi's Golden Rule
 [Griffiths] Sect. 9.1
19–20

7. Radioactive Decay, Part II

  • Gamma decay
  • Beta decay

[Krane] Sect. 9.1–9.3

[Krane] Sect. 10.1–10.4, 10.6
21–25

8. Applications of Nuclear Science

  • Interaction of radiation with matter
  • Fusion
  • Fission

[Krane] Sect. 11.1, 11.4–11.8; 13.1–13.3; 14.1–14.2

Supplemental

Notes on QM theory of scattering (PDF)