Nuclear Physics

About the Book

This book is based on a nuclear physics course the author has taught to graduate students at the Physics Department, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Iraq, for the period 1978–2007. Also, it is based on the author’s experiences in the field of nuclear physics, teaching, researching, and administration of certain scientific institutions and organizations. It consists of nine chapters and an appendix of some solved problems to illustrate the subject to the students. As a textbook in nuclear physics, it actually deals with the physics of the nucleus of the atom, from the time of discovering the nucleus by the alpha particle (α) scattering by gold film experiment by Rutherford (1911). Therefore, it describes and demonstrates the following important subjects: —Nuclear radius and shapes, properties —The nuclear force, properties, and features —Proposed nuclear models —Nuclear potential, different suggested types —Nuclear constituents, the protons (p) and the neutrons (N) —The nucleon as identity to p and N according to the charge and energy state —The angular momentum of the nucleus and its quadruple moment —The nuclear interactions —The rotation properties of the nucleus —The electromagnetic properties of the nucleus —Transitions, properties, and Fermi golden rules —Beta decay and the nonconservation of parity and the CPT conservation, the helicity —Nuclear particles physics —Solved problems

About the Author

Ali A. Abdulla is an emeritus professor of nuclear physics at the University of Baghdad, Iraq. He also taught at the University of Basrah and was a lecturer at the Mustansiriya University. He did his PhD work at Oklahoma State University in 1965-1968, and he also taught in 1967-1968. He first worked as a scientific researcher at an Iraqi nuclear research center (December 1968) then director of the institute (1970), and in 1975, he was appointed chairman of the physics department at Baghdad University. He used to teach all branches of physics, with the emphasis on teaching nuclear physics and quantum mechanics for graduate students. He supervised graduate research work for twentyfive years for both MS and PhD students in the field of nuclear physics. Also, he occupied a scientific directory to some important scientific institutions on the Arab-world level. He also used to have scientific relations with some United Nations scientific institutions. He published alone and, as a coauthor, about fifty papers in different international scientific journals. He published fifteen books in Physics and in general thoughts, in Arabic language. Currently, he lives in the United States as a permanent resident.