FYSS3550 Techniques for Nuclear and Accelerator-based Physics Experiments (10 cr)

• Interaction of radiation with matter

• Principles, construction and operation of radiation detectors

• Basics of signal processing

• Production, separation and manipulation of (radioactive) ions

• Methods to determine atomic masses

• Methods in Nuclear Spectroscopy

• Characterisation of materials with energetic ion beams

• Basic mechanisms of radiation effects in electronics

• Radiation environments governing the reliability of electronics 

At the end of this course, students will be able to

• operate various radiation detectors used in nuclear and accelerator-based physics experiments

• construct measurement and coincidence circuits from modular electronics and use radiation detectors

• recognise features of spectra from radiation detectors and relate them to the physical processes causing them

• manipulate the trajectories of ions through a recoil separator and compare observations to ion-optical calculations

• operate an ISOL-type mass separator and guide an ion beam through the system

• characterise the composition of thin films of materials using ion-beam techniques

• identify different radiation environments affecting electronic systems,

• diagnose the radiation sensitivity of simple electronic components

• differentiate the radiation induced error types in electronics  

Students enrolling to this course are expected to have completed the course Nuclear Physics (FYSS3300).

Lecture slides and associated notes; relevant contemporary articles given by lecturers; independent literature searches.