Nuclear Physics and Solid State Physics

 

A. NUCLEAR PHYSICS

1. Bulk properties of nuclei

Nuclear mass, charge, size, binding energy, spin and magnetic moment. Isobars, isotopes and isotones; mass spectrometer (Bainbridge).

2. Nuclear structure

Nature of forces between nucleons, nuclear stability and nuclear binding, the liquid drop model (descriptive) and the Bethe-Weizsacker mass formula, application to stability considerations, extremesingle particle shell model (qualitative discussion with emphasis on phenomenology with examples).

3. Unstable nuclei

(a) Alpha decay : alpha particle spectra – velocity and energy of alpha particles. Geiger-Nuttal law.

(b) Beta decay : nature of beta ray spectra, the neutrino, energy levels and decay schemes, positron emission and electron capture, selection rules, beta absorption and range of beta particles, Kurie plot.

(c) Gamma decay : gamma ray spectra and nuclear energy levels, isomeric states. Gamma absorption in matter, photoelectric process, Compton scattering, pair production (qualitative).

4. Nuclear fission and fusion

Discovery and characteristics, fission products and energy release, spontaneous and induced fission, transuranic elements. Chain reaction and basic principle of nuclear reactors. Nuclear fusion: energetics in terms of liquid drop model.

 

B. SOLID STATE PHYSICS 

1. Crystal Geometry

Amorphous and crystalline materials, glassy forms periodic lattice, basis, translation vectors, primitive and non-primitive Crystal Axis, Unit Cell, Primitive and Conventional Bravais lattice, Miller indices, symmetry, point groups and space groups. Body centered and face centered lattices, interplanner spacing. Indices of lattice planes.

2. Crystallography

Bragg’s law, diffraction of X –ray, measurement of lattice parameter for cubic lattices. Theory of Laue Spots.

3. Bonding in Solids

Types of bonding in solids, covalent, Ionic bindings, energy of bonding, transition between covalent and ionic bonding, metallic bonding, Vander waal’s bonding, hydrogen bond.

4. Lattice Vibrations

Linear monatomic chains, Acoustical and optical phonons, Qualitative description of the phonon spectrum, Brillouin Zones, Einstein and Debye theories of specific heat of solid T³ Law. Qualitative description of free electron theory and its inadequacies with reference to Hall effect and specific heat of electrons in metals.