Fundamentals of Nuclear Physics

This book introduces the current understanding of 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 QCD phase diagram and nucleosynthesis in stars, to convey readers the flavor of current research frontiers in nuclear physics. The author explains semi-classical arguments and derivation of its formulae. It provides an intuitive understanding of complex nuclear phenomena.

The book is aimed for graduate school students and postdoctoral fellows. It is also useful for researchers to 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, are used to describe nuclear phenomena. A number of questions are given from place to place as supplements to the text.

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 fur Kernforschung Berlin GmbH, 1973-1975, the Technische Universitat Munchen, 1975, the University of Oxford, 1975-1976, the Institut de Physique Nucleaire d’Orsay of the Universite Paris-Sud, 1976-1977, and the Universitat Munster, 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 Universitat Munchen, Academia Sinica at Taipei, Michigan State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Frankfurt, Universite 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 Accelerateur National d'Ions Lourds,?Universite Libre de Bruxelles, and RIKEN Nishina Center.?He is currently a researcher at Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba.