Nuclear astrophysics background -- The instruments used to study astrophysics -- Nuclear basics of nuclear astrophysics -- Stellar basics of nuclear astrophysics -- Hydrogen burning -- Advanced stellar evolution, supernovae, and gamma-ray bursters -- Production of the abundant heavy nuclides -- Nucleosynthesis on the proton-rich side of stability, X-ray bursts, and magnetars -- The beginning of the universe.
This book is intended for undergraduate or beginning graduate students. The net outcome is material to cover one integrated course on Nuclear and Particle Physics as well as Astrophysics.There are many advantages in teaching all these subjects together as they have become increasingly inseparable. From a theoretical point of view, understanding the similarities between atoms, nuclei and other hadrons and applying analogs from one to the other have been very effective in research and they have led to the development of all these fields. From an experimental point of view, a high energy experimentalist must understand nuclear physics, if he or she wants to construct new devices, like detectors, etc., appropriate for observing new high energy phenomena. Furthermore, an understanding of certain areas of astrophysics and the physics of the cosmos, demands a good grasp of both nuclear and particle physics.This book is intended as a menu from which the reader can pick material according to his or her taste and interests. The authors inserted proper cross references to make a specific selection by the reader from this menu as easily digestible as possible. The authors supplied sets of problems with varying degree of complexity, accompanied by hints or a sketch of the solution, if needed, in most chapters.
Studies in nucleosynthesis and nuclear astrophysics are highly interdisciplinary, encompassing such fields as nuclear physics, stellar structure and evolution, hydrostatics and hydrodynamics, differential equations for following isotopic abundance changes in stellar plasmas and in the interstellar medium, and astronomical observations. Essentials of Nucleosynthesis and Theoretical Nuclear Astrophysics brings together the theoretical aspects of these topics in a single volume, providing the necessary mathematical tools and equations with unified notation to enable studying nucleosynthesis in a variety of astrophysical sites. Essential definitions and theory are presented that will enable the reader to enter the research field with the familiarity of the specialities and specific problems. Useful as a reference work for any researcher in the field of nucleosynthesis and nuclear astrophysics, or a suitable basis for a graduate course on these topics, the book also provides the information necessary to follow discussions of current open questions in the understanding of the origin of the elements.
Along with classic papers byFowler, Hoyle, and the Burbidges,this work stands as a key foundationin the development of nuclear astrophysics. Long out ofprint and very hard to find, this remarkable work has beenedited and re-typeset by an atomic expert. Now availablein an affordable paperback edition for the very first time,it addresses interrelated questions — What are stars? Howdoes the sun shine? Why is gold so rare, and Where did theelements come from? — that have puzzled observers fromtime immemorial.Edited and re-typeset reprint of the original Atomic Energy ofCanada, Ltd., 1957 edition.
Until the publication of Introduction to Nuclear Reactions, an introductory reference on nonrelativistic nuclear reactions had been unavailable. Providing a concise overview of nuclear reactions, this reference discusses the main formalisms, ranging from basic laws to the final formulae used to calculate measurable quantities. Well known in their fields, the authors begin with a discussion of scattering theory followed by a study of its applications to specific nuclear reactions. Early chapters give a framework of scattering theory that can be easily understood by the novice. These chapters also serve as an introduction to the underlying physical ideas. The largest section of the book comprises the physical models that have been developed to account for the various aspects of nuclear reaction phenomena. The final chapters survey applications of the eikonal wavefunction to nuclear reactions as well as examine the important branch of nuclear transport equations. By combining a thorough theoretical approach with applications to recent experimental data, Introduction to Nuclear Reactions helps you understand the results of experimental measurements rather than describe how they are made. A clear treatment of the topics and coherent organization make this information understandable to students and professionals with a solid foundation in physics as well as to those with a more general science and technology background.
An accessible introduction to nuclear and particle physics with equal coverage of both topics, this text covers all the standard topics in particle and nuclear physics thoroughly and provides a few extras, including chapters on experimental methods; applications of nuclear physics including fission, fusion and biomedical applications; and unsolved problems for the future. It includes basic concepts and theory combined with current and future applications. An excellent resource for physics and astronomy undergraduates in higher-level courses, this text also serves well as a general reference for graduate studies.
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.
Most elements are synthesized, or "cooked", by thermonuclear reactions in stars. The newly formed elements are released into the interstellar medium during a star's lifetime, and are subsequently incorporated into a new generation of stars, into the planets that form around the stars, and into the life forms that originate on the planets. Moreover, the energy we depend on for life originates from nuclear reactions that occur at the center of the Sun. Synthesis of the elements and nuclear energy production in stars are the topics of nuclear astrophysics, which is the subject of this book. It presents nuclear structure and reactions, thermonuclear reaction rates, experimental nuclear methods, and nucleosynthesis in detail. These topics are discussed in a coherent way, enabling the reader to grasp their interconnections intuitively. The book serves both as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, with worked examples and end-of-chapter excercises, but also as a reference book for use by researchers working in the field of nuclear astrophysics.
A comprehensive, unified treatment of present-day nuclear physics-the fresh edition of a classic text/reference. "A fine and thoroughly up-to-date textbook on nuclear physics . . . most welcome." -Physics Today (on the First Edition). What sets Introductory Nuclear Physics apart from other books on the subject is its presentation of nuclear physics as an integral part of modern physics. Placing the discipline within a broad historical and scientific context, it makes important connections to other fields such as elementary particle physics and astrophysics. Now fully revised and updated, this Second Edition explores the changing directions in nuclear physics, emphasizing new developments and current research-from superdeformation to quark-gluon plasma. Author Samuel S.M. Wong preserves those areas that established the First Edition as a standard text in university physics departments, focusing on what is exciting about the discipline and providing a concise, thorough, and accessible treatment of the fundamental aspects of nuclear properties. In this new edition, Professor Wong: * Includes a chapter on heavy-ion reactions-from high-spin states to quark-gluon plasma * Adds a new chapter on nuclear astrophysics * Relates observed nuclear properties to the underlying nuclear interaction and the symmetry principles governing subatomic particles * Regroups material and appendices to make the text easier to use * Lists Internet links to essential databases and research projects * Features end-of-chapter exercises using real-world data. Introductory Nuclear Physics, Second Edition is an ideal text for courses in nuclear physics at the senior undergraduate or first-year graduate level. It is also an important resource for scientists and engineers working with nuclei, for astrophysicists and particle physicists, and for anyone wishing to learn more about trends in the field.
