Nuclear Physics Laboratory

This course aims to familiarize the students with the experimental aspect of some concepts that have been introduced in the course of Nuclear and Particle Physics: mean lifetime, cross section and passage of radiation through the matter. The students will learn the principles and techniques of nuclear radiation detection, including cosmic ray detection, and familiarize with electronic amplification and signal processing, and with data acquisition techniques. They will understand the importance of planning a simple, but non-trivial physics experiment, taking into account systematic and statistical uncertainties. All techniques acquired in previous labs, including programming skills, will be used in this lab, but a different context. Finally, students will learn how to write a scientific report and how to prepare a scientific presentation. The knowledge and skills provided by this course can be used in fundamental research and in other areas of applied physics

By the end of the course the students will be able to
1. Design and plan a measurement involving nuclear or natural radiation (cosmic rays)
2. Match the type of detector to the intended measurement process
3. Tune parameters of a nuclear electronic equipment
4. Calibrate a radiation detector
5. Measure and subtract noise and natural background
6. Operate a data acquisition system, collecting thousands of data points
7. Analyse the experimental data, to produce graphics showing both statistical and systematic errors, and fits to theoretical models
8. Interpret the experimental outcome, make a critical assessment and draw valid conclusions by comparing the measured values with previous measurements
9. Prepare a detailed written scientific report, both individually and within a team