Catalog

Introduction to Nuclear Engineering and Ionizing Radiation

Nuclear Science and Engineering MIT CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 34 lectures

This course provides an introduction to nuclear science and its engineering applications. It describes basic nuclear models, radioactivity, nuclear reactions, and kinematics; covers the interaction of ionizing radiation with matter, with an emphasis on radiation detection, radiation shielding, and radiation effects on human health; and presents energy systems based on fission and fusion nuclear reactions, as well as industrial and medical applications of nuclear science.

Syllabus

  1. 1 Lecture 1: Radiation History to the Present—Understanding the Discovery of the Neutron
  2. 2 Lecture 2: Radiation Utilizing Technology
  3. 3 Lecture 3: Nuclear Mass and Stability, Nuclear Reactions and Notation, Introduction to Cross Section
  4. 4 Lecture 4: Binding Energy, the Semi-Empirical Liquid Drop Nuclear Model, and Mass Parabolas
  5. 5 Lecture 5: Mass Parabolas Continued, Stability, and Half-Life
  6. 6 Lecture 6: The Q-Equation—The Most General Nuclear Reaction
  7. 7 Lecture 7: Q-Equation Continued and Examples
  8. 8 Lecture 8: Radioactive Decay—Modes, Energetics, and Trends
  9. 9 Lecture 10: Radioactive Decay Continued
  10. 10 Lecture 11: Radioactivity and Series Radioactive Decays
  11. 11 Lecture 12: Numerical Examples of Activity, Half-Life, and Series Decay
  12. 12 Lecture 13: Practical Radiation Counting Experiments—Solid Angle, Count Rates, Uncertainty, and Hands-On Gamma Counting and Nuclear Activation Analysis
  13. 13 Lecture 14: Photon Interactions with Matter I—Interaction Methods and Gamma Spectral Identification
  14. 14 Lecture 15: Photon Interaction with Matter II—More Details, Shielding Calculations
  15. 15 Lecture 16: Nuclear Reactor Construction and Operation
  16. 16 Lecture 17: Ion-Nuclear Interactions I—Scattering and Stopping Power Derivation, Ion Range
  17. 17 Lecture 18: Ion-Nuclear Interactions II—Bremsstrahlung, X-Ray Spectra, Cross Sections
  18. 18 Lecture 19: Uses of Photon and Ion Nuclear Interactions—Characterization Techniques
  19. 19 Lecture 20: How Nuclear Energy Works
  20. 20 Lecture 21: Neutron Transport
  21. 21 Lecture 22: Simplifying Neutron Transport to Neutron Diffusion
  22. 22 Lecture 23: Solving the Neutron Diffusion Equation, and Criticality Relations
  23. 23 Lecture 24: Transients, Feedback, and Time-Dependent Neutronics
  24. 24 Lecture 25: Review of All Nuclear Interactions and Problem Set 7 Help
  25. 25 Lecture 26: Chernobyl—How It Happened
  26. 26 Lecture 27: Nuclear Materials—Radiation Damage and Effects in Matter
  27. 27 Lecture 28: Chernobyl Trip Report by Jake Hecla
  28. 28 Lecture 29: Nuclear Materials Science Continued
  29. 29 Lecture 30: Radiation Dose, Dosimetry, and Background Radiation
  30. 30 Lecture 31: Frontiers in Nuclear Medicine, Where One Finds Ionizing Radiation
  31. 31 Lecture 32: Chemical and Biological Effects of Radiation, Smelling Nuclear Bullshit
  32. 32 Lecture 33: Long-Term Biological Effects of Radiation, Statistics, Radiation Risk
  33. 33 Lecture 34: Radiation Hormesis
  34. 34 Lecture 35: Food Irradiation and Its Safety

Course materials