Introduction To Atomic And Nuclear Physics

to Atomic and Nuclear Physics Aerial view of the National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois. (Photograph courtesy of NAL.) Introduction to Atomic and Nuclear Physics HENRY SEMAT Professor Emeritus The City College of the City University of New York JOHN R. ALBRIGHT The Florida State University FIFTH EDITION LONDON NEW YORK CHAPMAN AN D HALL First edition 1939 Fifth edition, first published in the U.S.A. by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. Fifth edition first published in Great Britain 1973 by Chapman and Hall Ltd 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Reprinted as a paperback 1978 Reprinted 1979, 1983, 1985 © 1939, 1946, 1954, 1962 by Henry Semat © 1972 by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. Fletcher & Son Ltd, Norwich ISBN-13: 978-0-412-15670-0 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-9701-8 DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4615-9701-8 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted, or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.

After the death of Dr. Littlefield it was decided that I should undertake the revision ofthe whole of Atomic and Nuclear Physics: an Introduction for the third edition, and it was soon apparent that major changes were necessary. I am confident that these changes would have had Dr. Littlefield's approval. The prime consideration for the present edition has been to modernize at a minimum cost. As much as possible of the second edition has therefore been retained, but where changes have been made they have been fairly drastic. Thus the chapters on fine structure, wave mechanics, the vector model of the atom, Pauli's principle and the Zeeman effect have been completely restructured. The chapters on nuclear models, cosmic rays, fusion systems and fundamental particles have been brought up to date while a new chapter on charm and the latest ideas on quarks has been included. It is hoped that the presentation of the last named will give readers a feeling that physics research can be full of adventure and surprises.

"The textbook itself is the culmination of the authors' many years of teaching and research in atomic physics, nuclear and particle physics, and modern physics. It is also a crystallization of their intense passion and strong interest in the history of physics and the philosophy of science. Together with the solution manual which presents solutions to many end-of-chapter problems in the textbook, they are a valuable resource to the instructors and students working in the modern atomic field."--Publisher's website.