Application of radiochemistry to problems in chemistry, physics, and nuclear medicine, with emphasis on particle detectors and experimental techniques. The main objectives of this course are to develop a basic understanding of radioactivity and the properties of atomic nuclei, learn how to use chemistry techniques with radioactive substances, study how radiation interacts with matter, learn the basic techniques of radiation detection and understand common tools for the analysis of detector data. The course is organized in weekly experiments that include gamma-ray spectroscopy with sodium iodine scintillators and with germanium semiconductor detectors, spectroscopy of alpha particles, introduction to techniques for positron emission tomography (PET), study of Compton scattering, X-ray fluorescence, derivation of nuclear energy levels using the coincidence detection technique, detection of neutrons, and study of radioactive fission of heavy nuclei.
Prerequisites: 3 units of physical chemistry or quantum mechanics, or permission from instructor.
One lecture hour and five hours of laboratory per week. Graduate students interested in this course should enroll in the graduate level course, Chem 5035.
Course Attributes: FA NSM; AR NSM; AS NSM
