Lecture Notes: Nuclear Science and Engineering

Introduction

• MIT OpenCourseWare offers high-quality educational resources for free.
• Question raised: Is nuclear science engineering purely computational?
  • Answer: No, there are also experimental components.
  • Lab activities planned, including experiments at the Nuclear Reactor Lab.

Nuclear Activation Analysis (NAA)

• Purpose: Measure impurities in materials sensitively.
• Assignment: Bring a 50 mg sample of a non-fissionable material.
  • Avoid salty samples (sodium activates intensely).
  • Use knowledge of radioactive decay and Bateman equations.
  • Calculate impurities in samples.
• Procedure: Samples irradiated in reactor, measure activation and decay.
• Samples: Can include food, nail clippings, clothing pieces (50 mg).

Introduction to Nuclear Experiments

• Upcoming labs include manipulating reactor power levels.
• Problem sets will involve lab components.
• Spin-thoriscopes and safety concerns with radiation sources.

Radioactive Decay

• Types: Alpha decay, beta decay, positron decay, electron capture.
• Electron Capture: Competes with positron emission.
• Gamma Decay: Isomeric transitions and internal conversion.
  • Competing with OJ electron emission.
• Neutrinos: Detected via light cones in water (Kamiokande detector).

Mathematical Analysis of Decay

• Decay Equations: Derived using separation of variables.
• Half-Life: Related to decay constant by (T_{1/2} = \frac{\ln 2}{\lambda}).
• Larger decay constant = faster decay = shorter half-life._

Serial Radioactive Decays

• Problem Posed: Series decay among isotopes.
• Use differential equations to describe production/destruction of isotopes.
  • Equations: ( \Delta = \text{Source} - \text{Sink} )

Complex Decay Systems

• Modeling includes neutron absorption and decay chains.
• Use of diagrams to map isotope transformations.
• Computational tools like MATLAB or Mathematica suggested for complex systems.

Conclusion

• Understanding decay processes crucial for nuclear science application.
• Future lectures to cover more on nuclear activation and practical applications.

Additional Topics

• Methodologies in nuclear engineering often named after animals/farm implements.
• Notations in nuclear physics can be complex; understanding physics is key.
• X-ray transitions and their calculations for photon emissions.
• Use of NIST x-ray tables for referencing transition energies.

Note

• Upcoming sessions will include more hands-on labs and problem-solving related to nuclear activation.
• Students encouraged to explore experimental groups for further learning.