Course content - Learning outcome - Admission - Prerequisites - Overlapping courses - Teaching - Examination - Evaluation

Course content

The course gives an overview of the different models that are used to describe fundamental excitations of atomic nuclei and reactions between them. The emphasis is on concepts and phenomenological descriptions, without deriving stringent formal theories. Experimental data will be used to illustrate the phenomena encountered in nuclear structure physics, without going into technical details of how this data is obtained. The following topics will be covered:

Nuclear structure: Liquid drop model, nuclear mass and binding, fission, pairing, shell structure, spin-orbit coupling, single-particle states, electromagnetic moments, nuclear shapes, deformed shell model, Strutinsky method, level density, collective rotation and vibration, particle-rotor model, cranking model.

Nuclear reactions: Coulomb excitation, direct reactions, multi-nucleon transfer, fusion-evaporation, fragmentation and spallation.

Learning outcome

Students will be introduced to fundamental and advanced models of nuclear structure that are used to describe various modes of nuclear excitation. The course will also give an overview over the most important types of nuclear reactions, introduce reaction models, and discuss how reactions can be used to study specific nuclear structure phenomena. The course lays out the foundation that allows students to interpret the observations obtained in experiments at the forefront of nuclear structure research. Students will also be instructed in the use of computer codes to calculate for example reaction cross sections and other useful tools which enable students to plan nuclear structure experiments.

Admission

PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through Studentweb.

If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to PhD candidates who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included. Some national researchers’ schools may have specific rules for ranking applicants for courses with limited intake capacity.

PhD candidates who have been admitted to another higher education institution must apply for a position as a visiting student within a given deadline.

The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisite knowledge

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Recommended previous knowledge

FYS3110-Quantum mechanics
FYS3520-Nuclear physics, structure and spectroscopy

Overlapping courses

10 credits overlap with FYS4570 - Advanced Nuclear Structure and Reactions.

Teaching

The course comprises 60 hours of lectures (four hours per week). One hour per week will be devoted to exercises and other practical applications such as instruction in the use of computer codes. Some exercises will be given as homework. During the semester each participant will be assigned a specific topic and relevant literature to be studied in depth and to be presented to the class in form of a seminar.

Access to teaching

A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.

Examination

One home assignment that must be passed in order to take the final exam.
The compulsory seminar presentation counts 20% and the final oral exam 80% of the final grade.

Examination support material

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Language of examination

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Norsk og/eller engelsk

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.

Explanations and appeals

You may request an explanation of your grades, and you may also appeal against your grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals.

Resit an examination

You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam.

Withdrawal from an examination

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Special examination arrangements

If you have a disability or a health problem that entails significant inconvenience in an examination situation, you may be considered for special examination arrangements. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.

Evaluation

Feedback from our students is essential to us in our efforts to ensure and further improve the high quality of our programmes and courses. All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students on a particular course to participate in a more comprehensive, periodic evaluation of this course.