Organised By Depertment Of Physics

City College , Kolkata – 700 009

Submitted By – Shreyasi Manna
Soumyadip Bhattacharya
Anupam Panja
 PRESENTED BY – ANUPAM PANJA

Content :
v What Have We Learned About The Nucleus So Far ?
- Nuclear Properties
v How Do We Begin To Understand Nuclear Binding ?
- Binding Energy
v The Liquid Drop Model
- A Simple Approach To Modelling The Atomic Nucleus
What Have We Learned About The
Nucleus So Far ?
Ø The Nuclear Density is roughly Constant for all nuclei.
What Have We Learned About The
Nucleus So Far ?
Ø The Nuclear Density is roughly Constant for all nuclei.
Ø Nuclei are Positively Charged, and The Nuclear Charge Density is also Roughly
Constant.
What Have We Learned About The
Nucleus So Far ?
Ø The Nuclear Density is roughly Constant for all nuclei.
Ø Nuclei are Positively Charged, and The Nuclear Charge Density is also Roughly
Constant.
Ø Nuclear Force is Independent Of Charge And Spin of the Nucleus.
What Have We Learned About The
Nucleus So Far ?
Ø The Nuclear Density is roughly Constant for all nuclei.
Ø Nuclei are Positively Charged, and The Nuclear Charge Density is also Roughly
Constant.
Ø Nuclear Force is Independent Of Charge And Spin of the Nucleus.
Ø The Strong Force Attractive Only at Short Range…
What Have We Learned About The
Nucleus So Far ?
Ø The Nuclear Density is roughly Constant for all nuclei.
Ø Nuclei are Positively Charged, and The Nuclear Charge Density is also Roughly
Constant.
Ø Nuclear Force is Independent Of Charge And Spin of the Nucleus.
Ø The Strong Force Attractive Only at Short Range…
Ø And is Repulsive at Very Short Range .( i.e. Nuclear Matter is Highly
Incompressible ) .
What Have We Learned About The
Nucleus So Far ?
Ø The Nuclear Density is roughly Constant for all nuclei.
Ø Nuclei are Positively Charged, and The Nuclear Charge Density is also Roughly
Constant.
Ø Nuclear Force is Independent Of Charge And Spin of the Nucleus.
Ø The Strong Force Attractive Only at Short Range…
Ø And is Repulsive at Very Short Range .( i.e. Nuclear Matter is Highly
Incompressible ) .
These Observations are remarkable,and have been performed with very
simple concepts so far . We are now at the level of understanding where we can
begin to Theoretically Model the nucleus in an attempt to predict our
observations.
How Do We Begin To Understand Nuclear
Binding ?
In Order to Understand , The Macroscopic properties of the nucleus mentioned before it
is essential to know the exact nature of the forces between the nucleons. In absence of a
comprehensive Theory, attempts were made to develop nuclear models to explain the
properties of a nuclei.
Liquid Drop Model was first proposed by N.Bohr and F.Kalckar in 1937. And Was later
applied by C.F.von Weizsacker and H.A. Bethe to develop a semi-empirical formula for the Niels Bohr
binding energy of the nucleus.
In order to understand nuclear binding, we need to derive a mathematical framework to
explain our empirical observations. This method is typically referred to as mathematical
modelling To start with, let us consider the nucleus as a charged drop of incompressible liquid.
How do we do with that assumption?
This leads quite naturally to a model that envisions the nucleus as an incompressible
liquid droplet, with nucleons playing the role analogous to molecules in a drop of normal
liquid. In this picture, known as the liquid drop model, the individual quantum properties of
nucleons are completely ignored , rather it Considers The Collective motion of all the
nucleus.
The Liquid Drop Model
A Simple Approach To Modelling The Atomic Nucleus

Ø The scattering experiments suggested that nuclei have approximately constant density. We were
then able to calculate the nuclear radius assuming a uniform sphere. A drop of uniform liquid has
the same property . This also suggest to the Incompressibility property of the Liquid Drop and A
Nucleus.
�
� = �� � �  ,  Nuclear Mass (m) = A ,
�
��, � = ��       ��, �  = ���� �
�
�
We Know , Density � � =
�
�
or, � � = = Constant
�����
The Liquid Drop Model
A Simple Approach To Modelling The Atomic Nucleus

Saturation Of The Nuclear Force : The nuclear force is a short range, but doesn’t allow for
compression of nuclear matter. Molecules in a liquid drop have the same basic properties
that each individual molecule exerts an attractive force upon a group of molecules in its
immediate neighbourhood.The force of interaction doesn’t extend to all the molecules
within the drop.
The Liquid Drop Model
A Simple Approach To Modelling The Atomic Nucleus

In Order to calculate the potential of the interaction it is necessary to know the number of interacting
pairs of molecules within the drop,

N molecules

If Each molecule interacts with If Each molecule interacts with

all the other molecules.The Number of a limited number of molecules
interacting pairs should be N(N-1)/2. in the immediate vicinity.
The potential energy should be The potential energy should be
Proportional to �2 . Proportional to N.
ü The latter conclusion is supported by the experimental evidence.
The Liquid Drop Model
A Simple Approach To Modelling The Atomic Nucleus

Ø The total amount of heat required for evaporating a drop of liquid ( latent heat ) is linearly
proportional to the number of molecules within the liquid, as is evident from the fact that the heat
required to evaporate 2g of a liquid is twice that required to evaporate 1g.
Ø The Binding Energy ��   of a nucleus is linearly proportional to the
number of nucleons within it, So that the Binding Fraction �� (i.e.
Binding Energy Per Nucleon is Constant.) is nearly constant (8
MeV) for most nuclei.
ü This fact shows a close resemblance of the nucleus with a liquid drop.
ü Thus We come to the conclusion that the internucleon force within the
nucleus attains a saturation value .so that each nucleon can interact only
with a limited number of nucleons in its close vicinity.
The Liquid Drop Model
A Simple Approach To Modelling The Atomic Nucleus

q According to this model , the nucleus is supposed to be spherical in shape in the

1
stable state with radius R = R0 A 3 , just as a liquid drop is spherical due to
symmetricalc surface tension forces. The Surface Tension effects are analogous
to the Potential Barrier effects on the surface of the nucleus.
The Liquid Drop Model
A Simple Approach To Modelling The Atomic Nucleus

Ø The Non-independence of the Binding Energy per nucleon

On the number of nucleons in the nucleus is analogous to the
Non-independence of the Heat of Vapourisation of a Liquid Drop
On the size of the drop.
The Liquid Drop Model
A Simple Approach To Modelling The Atomic Nucleus

Ø Molecules In a Liquid Drop from the liquid surface on raising

the temperature of the liquid due to their increased energy of thermal agitation .
Analogously , if high energy nuclear projectiles bombard the nucleus,
a is formed in which the nucleons quickly share the
incident energy and the emission of nucleons occurs.
The phenomenon is easily explained as the splitting of the
liquid drop into two more or less equal parts if set into
vibration with sufficient energy.
The Liquid Drop Model
A Simple Approach To Modelling The Atomic Nucleus

As a consequence of Liquid Drop Model Bethe – Weizsacker introduced The

Semi Empirical Mass Formula.
The Semi Empirical Mass Formula or The Semi Empirical Binding Energy is a
Nuclear Model That Produces Approximate values for the nuclear Binding Energy
as a function of the number of nucleons A and the number of protons Z. It is used
to approximate the mass and various other properties of an Atomic Nucleous
from its number of protons and number of neutrons.