Further Reading — Chapter 1

Textbooks

Kenneth S. Krane, Introductory Nuclear Physics (Wiley, 1988), Chapters 1 and 3. The standard undergraduate nuclear physics textbook. Chapter 1 covers the basic properties of nuclei (sizes, masses, binding energies) and Chapter 3 covers nuclear models including the liquid drop model. Krane's treatment of nuclear sizes and the binding energy curve closely parallels our discussion. This book will serve as a primary reference throughout the course.

Samuel S.M. Wong, Introductory Nuclear Physics, 2nd ed. (Wiley-VCH, 2004), Chapters 1–2. A somewhat more advanced treatment than Krane, with careful attention to nuclear sizes from electron scattering and a thorough discussion of nuclear binding systematics. Wong provides useful tables of nuclear data and a clear derivation of the Rutherford cross section including center-of-mass corrections.

B.R. Martin, Nuclear and Particle Physics: An Introduction, 3rd ed. (Wiley, 2017), Chapter 2. An accessible introduction that covers Rutherford scattering, nuclear properties, and the semi-empirical mass formula at a level appropriate for students seeing nuclear physics for the first time.

Original Papers

E. Rutherford, "The Scattering of $\alpha$ and $\beta$ Particles by Matter and the Structure of the Atom," Philosophical Magazine, Series 6, Vol. 21, No. 125, pp. 669–688 (1911). Rutherford's landmark paper deriving the scattering formula and proposing the nuclear atom. Remarkably readable — the clarity of Rutherford's physical reasoning rewards careful study even today.

H. Geiger and E. Marsden, "On a Diffuse Reflection of the $\alpha$-Particles," Proceedings of the Royal Society A, Vol. 82, pp. 495–500 (1909). The original experimental paper reporting the anomalous large-angle alpha scattering from gold foil. Short and direct.

H. Geiger and E. Marsden, "The Laws of Deflexion of $\alpha$ Particles through Large Angles," Philosophical Magazine, Vol. 25, pp. 604–623 (1913). The comprehensive follow-up paper with systematic measurements confirming Rutherford's predictions: the $\sin^{-4}(\theta/2)$ law, the $Z^2$ dependence, and the $t$ (thickness) and $v^{-4}$ ($T^{-2}$) dependences.

J. Chadwick, "The Existence of a Neutron," Proceedings of the Royal Society A, Vol. 136, pp. 692–708 (1932). Chadwick's discovery paper. A masterclass in concise scientific writing — the analysis that earned a Nobel Prize is presented in under 10 pages.

Nuclear Data Resources

National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC), Brookhaven National Laboratory. Website: https://www.nndc.bnl.gov/ The NNDC maintains the most comprehensive and authoritative databases of nuclear data, including: - NuDat: Interactive chart of nuclides with decay data, level schemes, and nuclear properties for all known nuclides. - Nuclear Wallet Cards: Compact summary of ground-state properties for all nuclides. These databases are essential tools for any nuclear physics student or researcher.

The 2020 Atomic Mass Evaluation (AME2020). W.J. Huang, M. Wang, F.G. Kondev, G. Audi, and S. Naimi, "The AME 2020 atomic mass evaluation (I). Evaluation of input data, and adjustment procedures," Chinese Physics C, Vol. 45, 030002 (2021). M. Wang, W.J. Huang, F.G. Kondev, G. Audi, and S. Naimi, "The AME 2020 atomic mass evaluation (II). Tables, graphs and references," Chinese Physics C, Vol. 45, 030003 (2021). The definitive compilation of atomic masses and derived quantities (binding energies, separation energies, $Q$-values). Updated approximately every four years. The data used in this chapter's binding energy calculations come from AME2020.

The NUBASE2020 evaluation of nuclear properties. F.G. Kondev, M. Wang, W.J. Huang, S. Naimi, and G. Audi, "The NUBASE2020 evaluation of nuclear physics properties," Chinese Physics C, Vol. 45, 030001 (2021). Companion to AME2020, providing half-lives, decay modes, and spin-parity assignments for all known nuclides.

Nuclear Charge Radii

I. Angeli and K.P. Marinova, "Table of experimental nuclear ground state charge radii: An update," Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables, Vol. 99, pp. 69–95 (2013). The standard reference for experimental rms charge radii determined from electron scattering and muonic atom measurements. Covers nuclei from hydrogen to uranium.

Historical and Conceptual

Abraham Pais, Inward Bound: Of Matter and Forces in the Physical World (Oxford University Press, 1986), Chapters 6 and 11. A comprehensive history of subatomic physics by one of its practitioners. Chapters 6 (radioactivity and the nucleus) and 11 (the neutron) provide rich historical context for the discoveries covered in this chapter.

Robert Hofstadter, "Electron Scattering and Nuclear Structure," Nobel Lecture (1961). Available at https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1961/hofstadter/lecture/ Hofstadter's Nobel lecture describing how electron scattering revealed nuclear charge distributions. A clear, accessible account of the technique that established the Fermi distribution and measured nuclear radii.

For Further Exploration

Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). Website: https://frib.msu.edu/ FRIB at Michigan State University began operations in 2022 and is the world's most powerful rare-isotope beam facility. Its mission includes mapping the neutron drip line for heavier elements and exploring the limits of nuclear existence — directly relevant to the chart of nuclides patterns discussed in this chapter.