This book introduces the current understanding of the fundamentals of nuclear physics by referring to key experimental data and by providing a theoretical understanding of principal nuclear properties.

It primarily covers the structure of nuclei at low excitation in detail. It also examines nuclear forces and decay properties. In addition to fundamentals, the book treats several new research areas such as non-relativistic as well as relativistic Hartree-Fock calculations, the synthesis of super-heavy elements, the quantum chromodynamics phase diagram, and nucleosynthesis in stars, to convey to readers the flavor of current research frontiers in nuclear physics. The authors explain semi-classical arguments and derivation of its formulae. In these ways an intuitive understanding of complex nuclear phenomena is provided. The book is aimed at graduate school students as well as junior and senior undergraduate students and postdoctoral fellows. It is also useful for researchersto update their knowledge of diverse fields of nuclear structure. The book explains how basic physics such as quantum mechanics and statistical physics, as well as basic physical mathematics, is used to describe nuclear phenomena. A number of questions are given from place to place as supplements to the text.

Autorentext

Noboru Takigawa received his DSc in physics from the University of Tokyo in 1971. He subsequently worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Nuclear Study of the University of Tokyo, 1971-1972, RIKEN, 1972-1973, Hahn Meitner Institut für Kernforschung Berlin GmbH, 1973-1975, the Technische Universität München, 1975, the University of Oxford, 1975-1976, the Institut de Physique Nucléaire d'Orsay of the Université Paris-Sud, 1976-1977, and the Universität Münster, 1977-1979. He served as a research associate (1979-1988) and as a professor of physics (1988-2007) at Tohoku University. Further, he has been a long-term visiting professor at the Technische Universität München, Academia Sinica at Taipei, Michigan State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Frankfurt, Université de Mons, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Australian National University, University of Catania, Institute for Nuclear Theory of the University of Washington, Tennessee Technological University and ECT* at Trento. He is now an emeritus professor at Tohoku University.

Kouhei Washiyama received his DSc in physics from Tohoku University in 2007, and thereafter worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds, Université Libre de Bruxelles, and RIKEN Nishina Center. He is currently a researcher at Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Bulk Properties of Nuclei.- The Nuclear Force and Two-Body Systems.- Interaction with Electromagnetic Field: Electromagnetic Moments.- Shell Structure.- Microscopic Mean-Field Theory (HartreeFock Theory).- The Shapes of Nuclei.- Nuclear Decay and Radioactivity.- Synthesis of Elements.