M.Sc NUCLEAR AND PARTICLE PHYSICS

PART A QUESTION BANK

Nuclear forces

1. Enumerate the characteristics of nuclear forces
2. Explain why nuclear forces are spin dependent
3. What is non-central nuclear force?
4. Explain why nucleon-nucleon force has to be a central force?
5. What is nuclear isospin?
6. How can we prove the existence of mesonic cloud in a nucleus?
7. How many types of mesons are there? What is the mass of meson?
8. Why the magnetic moment of neutron is negative?

Ground state of deuteron

9. State any two properties of ground state of deuteron
10. What is the purpose of studying ground state of deuteron?
11. How the studies of ground state of deuteron contribute to the theory of alpha decay?

Nuclear Models

12. What are magic numbers?
13. Compare liquid drop with a nucleus.
14. Define excitation energy and threshold energy in nuclear fission.
15. State two evidences of existence of shell model in nucleus.
16. Define parity in a nucleus and explain how it is determined.
17. What are the advantages and draw backs of liquid drop model
18. What are the advantages and draw backs of shell model
19. On the basis of shell model, write the spin of the nucleus ₃₃As⁷⁵.
20. Write the nucleon configuration of the nucleus ₃₃As⁷⁵.
21. What are Schimit values and Schimit curves?
22. How is the ground state spin of a nucleus determined?
23. How the magic numbered nuclei are spherical in shape?
24. Give examples for the magic numbered nuclei.

Nuclear reactions

25. Complete the following nuclear reactions.

₁₇Cl³⁵ (?, α) ₁₆S³² , ₅B¹⁰(?, α) ₃Li⁷,₃Li⁶ (?, ₀n¹) ₄Be⁷

26. Define nuclear scattering and reaction cross section.
27. Why nuclear cross section is important for nuclear reactions.
28. Why slow neutrons are used in nuclear reactors.
29. Why ₉₂U²³⁸ cannot undergo fission with slow neutrons
30. Define a compound nucleus.
31. What is energy balance in nuclear reactions?
32. Define level width in nuclear reactions
33. What is pick up reaction? Explain with an equation.
34. What is stripping reaction? Explain with an equation.
35. What is spallation reaction?

Alpha, beta and gamma decays

36. What is internal conversion?
37. What is K-electron capture
38. State the properties of neutrino. Is it massless?
39. State the violations in beta decay.
40. Differentiate between negative beta decay and positive beta decay.
41. What are the selection rules for gamma decay?
42. What is nuclear isomerism?

Elementary particles

43. Give the quark structure of proton and neutron.
44. Identify bosons/fermions/leptons in the following list of particles: photon, postiron, proton.
45. What is the significance of symmetry in elementary particles?
46. What are hadrons and leptons?
47. What are mesons and fermions?
48. What are bosons and hyperons?
49. How elementary particles are classified?
50. Which of the following refers to the same particle: alpha, beta, x-rays, photoelectrons, cathode rays, electrons, photons, deuterons, cosmic rays, canal rays, helium nuclei, gamma rays?

	Newton once said that his solutions to problems were not sudden insight but rather by continually thinking very long and hard about them until he worked them out.                                               -