NUCLEAR PHYSICS:

How is possible that a large number of protons

exist in a very small space inside the nucleus?

General objectives:
To provide the students with a broader understanding of the different aspects of Nuclear
Physics and Nuclear reaction.

To make the students able to  solve  numerical problems related to the content.

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Syllabus of Nuclear Physics:

Nucleus   and  its constituents

Mass number ,atomic mass ,atomic mass unit
Einstein’s mass -energy  relation 
Mass defect, binding energy, binding energy per nucleon
and packing fraction.
Isotopes of nuclei
Nuclear  reactions
Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion
Q-value  in nuclear reaction

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Specific objectives:
 Explain nucleus   and its constituents.
 Describe mass number ,atomic mass ,atomic mass unit
 Explain  Einstein’s mass -energy  relation 
 Describe mass defect ,binding energy, binding energy
per nucleon and packing fraction
 Explain isotopes of nuclei.
 Discuss the different types of nuclear reactions
 Describe nuclear fission and nuclear fusion with
energy calculation.
 Explain Q -value of nuclear reaction.
 Solve simple numerical problems in above topics.
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Introduction:
• J.J. Thomson discovered
1897 electron
AD
1911 • Rutherford discovered nucleus
AD from his well known Gold foilexpt

1913 • Millikan’s oil drop expt.

AD for electronic charge

In 1919 AD, Rutherford discoveredproton,ahydrogen nucleus.

In 1932 AD ,a British physicist Chadwick discovered the neutron.

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Nucleus:
A
The nucleus is the central part of atom Z X
• 
• 

It is made by two particles protons and neutrons

• Proton carries positive charge and neutron carries no charge.
A=Z+N
Atomic Number(Z):
• The number of protons in a nucleus is called its atomicnumber.Itis denoted by Z

Mass Number
23
• The sum of numbers of protons and neutrons in a nucleus of an atom is
called mass number. It is denoted by A. 11 Na
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 Properties of Nucleus:
Nuclear size:
The size of nucleus is spherical.

The empirical formula for the nuclear radius is given by.

1
r  r0 A 3

For Uranium nucleus ,   A=238

then r=8.68 fm

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 1. If an atom's atomic number is given by Z, its atomic mass by A, and its neutron number by N, which of the following is correct?

a) N=A-Z b) N=Z-A c) N=A+Z d) None of these

2.Compared to the masses of its separate protons and neutrons,

the total mass of a stable nucleus is always

a)less b) The same

c) greater d) zero

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Nuclear charge:
A nucleus contains protons and neutrons.
• Neutrons arechargelessand protons are positively charged.
A nucleus is positively charged.

A
For a nucleus of atomic number Z, the nuclear charge q is given by
Z X
• q = + Z e , where e is the charge of a proton.

235 16 35
92 U 8O 17 Cl

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Nuclear Mass(M):
The mass of a nucleus is equal to the sum of masses of the neutrons
and protons

• The nuclear mass M is given by

M  Zm p  ( A  Z )mn  Amn

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Nuclear Density(ρ):
The nuclear mass per unit nuclear volume of the nucleus

mn A 3mn
 
4 3
r0 A 4r0
3

3
 

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Isotopes:
The atoms of an element which have the same atomic number Z
but different mass number A are called isotopes.

Isotopes contain different number of neutrons but

same number of protons

All the isotopes have similar physical properties

but different chemical properties

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Isobars:
Isobars are the atoms of different elements which have the
same mass number A but different atomic number Z .

Isobars contain different number of protons but

same number of nucleons.
Same number of nucleon in the nuclei and
hence they have same atomic weight.
Their both physical and chemical
properties are different.

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Isotones:
Atoms which have same numbers of neutrons are called isotones

They have different mass number and atomic number.

They have different physical and chemical properties.

   

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Mass defect:

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The energy equivalent to the mass defect is known as the binding
energy of the nucleus.
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 Atomic mass unit:
AS atom and sub atomic particles have very small mass,
it would be difficult to expess such mass in regular units.

One atomic mass unit (1 amu) is defined as the one twelvfth of the
mass of carbon -12 atom.
Atomic mass unit:

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Relation between atomic mass unit and MeV:
From Einstein’s mass-energy relation, we have
 

So,1 amu is equivalent to the energy E given as

E  mc 2  1.66  1027  (3  108 ) 2 (1amu  1.66  10 27 Kg )

 1.494  10 10 Joule

1.494  10 10
E 19
eV  
1.6  10
E  931 10 6 eV  931MeV

Therefore 1 amu is equivalent to 931 MeV of energy.

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Packing Fraction:
Mass defect per nucleon is known as packing fraction. It is denoted
by f and given by

• 

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Binding energy per nucleon:
Binding energy per nucleon is defined as the binding energy of
a nucleus divided by its mass number.

It is also defined as the average energy required extracting

one nucleon from its nucleus.

• 

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Nuclear reaction:
The process of changing of a nucleus or nuclei into other nucleus or
nuclei is called as nuclear reaction.

a+B C+d+Q
Where,
a= Projectile particle
B= Target nucleus
C= product nucleus
d= outgoing particle
Q= energy
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Nuclear Fission:

The process of splitting of a heavy unstable nucleus into nuclei of

comparable mass is called nuclear fission.

It was also observed that ,a large amount of energy is released

during the nuclear fission reaction.

1 235 236 141 92 1

0
n  92 U  92 U  56 Ba  36 Kr  3 0 n  Q
Mass of reactants is greater than mass of products.
Energy is released due to mass defects.

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Energy released in fission:
Consider a typical fission reaction
1 235 236 141 92 1
0
n  92 U  92 U  56 Ba  36 Kr  3 0 Q
n

• Mass of reactants=1.00866+235.04393= 236.05259 u

• Mass of products=140.91770+91.89549+3×1.00866
=235.83917 u
Mass defect(Δm)=Mass of reactants - Mass of products
=0.21342 u

1 amu= 931 Mev

Hence, energy released in a fission=0.21342× 931 =200 MeV
Energy released per nucleon=0.8 MeV
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Energy released in terms of Joule and KWh:

 2.563  10 24 atoms

E  2.563  10 24  200  5.126  10 26 MeV

In terms of joule,
E  5.126 1026 106 1.6 1019 J  8.2 1013 J
In terms of KWh, w 8.2  1013
p 
t 60  60  
 2.277  1010 Watt
 2.277  10 7 KW Presented by :MCA
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Radioactivity
 Introd uction :
.

The phenomenon of spontaneous emission of highly penetrating radiations α,β and ϒ

rays from the element of atomic weights ‘A’ greater than 206 is called radioactivity.

Types of
Radioactivity:
i) Natural radioactivity : The substance which is obtain naturally and undergoes spontaneous
disintegration into its stable or less unstable nuclei with emission of radiation is known as natural
radioactive substance and the phenomenon is called natural radioactivity.

ii)Artificial radioactivity: The transmutation of nucleus into next form

due to artificial means is called artificial radioactivity. Artificially made
radioactive source disintegrates into stable or less unstable nuclei
emiting radiations that is known as artificial radioactivity.
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 Half life:
The time interval during which half of the radioactive atoms just disintegrates.

Decay constant: The ratio of rate of disintegration of radioactive atoms at a given

instant to the number of atoms present at that instant of time.

Relation between half life and decay constant:

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a) 5 days b) 10 days c) 15 days d) 30 days

Percentage of atom disintegrated in 5 days is 10 %. Then the percentage of atom

left after 20 days will be

a) 87.5% c) 65 % d) 69%
b) 71.25%

a) positron b) Beta particle c) neutrons d) Gamma particle

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 A sample of Ra-226 has half life of 1620 years. What
is the mass of the sample which undergoes 2000
disintegrations per second.

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