Level of study
BAC +3
ECTS
3 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
Hourly volume
27h
Description
Study of the basic principles of the physics of the nucleus in view of concrete applications in everyday life. This course aims at giving the basic elements of nuclear physics in order to present the applications of radioactivity and nuclear energy in the industrial field (Physics of Nuclear Reactors, Fuels), in the medical field (Nuclear Imaging), or in the field of radioprotection (Measuring devices, units...)
Objectives
To provide students with an overview of what constitutes applied nuclear physics in everyday life today.
To make the student capable of performing simple calculations on all the topics covered in order to obtain orders of magnitude very quickly.
To have a clear scientific opinion on the notion of Nuclear Energy in order to be able to put it back in the notion of Energy in the broad sense.
Necessary pre-requisites
Mastery of all the physics and mathematics notions of L1 and L2
Recommended prerequisites*: Differential equations, notions of thermics....
Knowledge control
100% CT
Syllabus
Introduction and history of nuclear physics
The atom. Mass, energy. Conservation laws. Wave-corpuscle duality. Units. Energy levels
The core and its components
Interaction radiation matterĀ
Natural radioactivity, decay, half-life... Classical reactions: alpha, beta, gamma
Artificial radioactivity and induced reaction: fission, fusion
Physics of nuclear reactors: fuel, power plants, energy, basic neutronics, reactor thermics, ...examples
Radiation protection: effects of radiation on the human body, units, measuring devices
Notions of nuclear medicine: imaging, treatments...
Additional information
CM : 13.5 h
TD : 13.5 h