Quantum Mechanics For Nuclear Structure

Covers all the phenomenological and experimental data on nuclear physics and demonstrates the latest experimental developments that can be obtained. Introduces modern theories of fundamental processes, in particular the electroweak standard model, without using the sophisticated underlying quantum field theoretical tools. Incorporates all major present applications of nuclear physics at a level that is both understandable by a majority of physicists and scientists of many other fields, and usefull as a first introduction for students who intend to pursue in the domain.

The first volume of Quantum Mechanics for Nuclear Structure introduced the reader to the basic elements that underpin the one-body formulation of quantum mechanics. Volume two follows on from its predecessor by examining topics essential for understanding the many-body formulation. The algebraic structure of quantum theory is emphasised throughout as an essential aspect of the mathematical formulation of many-body quantum systems. The authors begin with a thorough treatment of angular momentum theory, covering representation and coupling of spin-angular momentum states and associated operators with a focus on tensor structure. Identical particles and the representation of many-body states and operators are then covered using second quantization, followed by an introduction to the role of group theory and algebraic structures in quantum mechanics. The final chapters cover perturbation theory and the variational method, as well as a brief treatment of electromagnetic fields.

This book offers a detailed introduction into the field of quantum mechanics applied to nuclear structure, and is intended for as a primer for nuclear physics graduate students and postgraduate students seeking a solid foundation in the subject.

This book, the first of a two-volume set, provides a comprehensive introduction to quantum mechanics for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students entering the field of nuclear structure studies via two-state systems: both polarized photons and spin-1/2 particles. This leads to the logic behind the physical structure and an axiomatic formulation using linear spaces and operators. The one-dimensional harmonic oscillator is used to illustrate the mechanics of quantized systems, reaching to time dependence and coherent states. Measurement theory is introduced. The transformation theory of space and time leads to wave functions. The role of group theory and rotations then leads to the quantization of angular momentum. Central force problems are handled algebraically. The development is completed with quantization of motion of a charged particle in a magnetic field. Part of IOP Series in Nuclear Spectroscopy and Nuclear Structure.

Nuclear Structure covers material usually discussed in courses about nuclear structure. The presentation, although recommends and not necessarily requires the reader to have some knowledge of introductory nuclear physics at an elementary or undergraduate level, requires a good knowledge of the elements of quantum mechanics, including an introduction to Dirac theory. The text covers topics such as nucleon-nucleon forces, the boson-exchange model, high-energy electron scattering, and the single particle shell model. Also covered are topics such as single-particle potentials, spin-orbit interactions, the individual-particle model, states of different nuclei, electromagnetic interactions with nuclei, and beta-decay. The book is recommended for nuclear physics students who have background knowledge on nuclear structure and would like to know more about the topic.

This book is the result of a graduate-level "special topics" course I gave at the University of Rochester in 1970. The purpose of the course was to discuss as far as possible all known symmetries in nuclei, with special emphasis on dynamical symmetries. Since there was no comprehensive account of this subject in the literature, I was encouraged to write a review based on my lecture notes. The end result is the present volume. Like the course, the book is intended mainly for graduate students and research workers in nuclear physics. The only prior knowledge required to follow the book is graduate-level quantum mechanics and nuclear physics and hence I believe that it can be useful to both experimental and theoretical nuclear physicists. In addition, the book should prepare a student to read the latest literature on the subject and also train him to do group theoretic work in nuclear physics. The organization of the material in the book is described in Chapter 1.

This textbook is a unique and ambitious primer of nuclear physics, which introduces recent theoretical and experimental progresses starting from basics in fundamental quantum mechanics. The highlight is to offer an overview of nuclear structure phenomena relevant to recent key findings such as unstable halo nuclei, superheavy elements, neutron stars, nucleosynthesis, the standard model, lattice quantum chromodynamics (LQCD), and chiral effective theory. An additional attraction is that general properties of nuclei are comprehensively explained from both the theoretical and experimental viewpoints. The book begins with the conceptual and mathematical basics of quantum mechanics, and goes into the main point of nuclear physics – nuclear structure, radioactive ion beam physics, and nuclear reactions. The last chapters devote interdisciplinary topics in association with astrophysics and particle physics. A number of illustrations and exercises with complete solutions are given. Each chapter is comprehensively written starting from fundamentals to gradually reach modern aspects of nuclear physics with the objective to provide an effective description of the cutting edge in the field.