The subject matter of NE 408 is based on radiation interactions in matter. Students should be familiar with the nuclear shell models, nuclear decay and radioactivity, particle interaction kinematics such as neutron elastic scattering and coulomb interaction, neutron absorption and resonance behavior, and the basics of the fission and fusion reactions. These topics are covered in NEEP 305. Radioactivity and particle kinematics are briefly reviewed, but most of the new fundamental material is devoted to photon and charged particle interactions.

Textbook:

H. Cember, Introduction to Health Physics, 3rd edn., McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1996. or Lamarsh and Baratta, Introduction to Nuclear Engineering, Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 3rd Edition, 2001.

(Which text is used is instructor dependent.)

Additional Resources:

R. D. Evans, The Atomic Nucleus, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1955.

Kenneth S. Krane, Introductory Nuclear Physics, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Frank H. Attix, Introduction to Radiological Physics and Radiation Dosimetry, John Wiley & Sons, 1986

David W. Anderson, Absorption of Ionizing Radiation, University Park Press - Baltimore, 1984

E. E. Lewis and W. F. Miller, Jr., Computational Methods of Neutron Transport, John Wiley & Sons, 1984.

Course Objectives: It is the instructor's intention to...

contrast photon and charged particles interactions in matter with those of neutrons.

connect the basic phenomena of radiation interactions with detector performance and selection.

introduce students to the biological effects of radiation and how those effects shape regulatory policy.

provide students with the tools they need to design shields to keep dose/exposure levels below those dictated by regulatory policy.

show students how to use simple, analytical tools to estimate dose/exposure for a given source strength and geometry.

Course Outcomes: Students must be able to...

calculate energy loss in elastic neutron scattering.

describe the photoelectric effect, Compton scattering and pair production, and the photon energy intervals in which each of these phenomena dominate photon interactions in matter.

calculate energy loss in Compton scattering events.

compare angular differential cross-sections of neutrons and photons (Klein-Nishina) and resulting implications of average energy loss/collision.

estimate the range of light and heavy charged particles in media.

prescribe an appropriate type of detector for detecting and quantifying (if appropriate) radiation levels for different kinds of radiation sources.

memorize and explain the rationale behind exposure/dose/dose equivalent limits for radiation workers and civilians.

explain stochastic and non-stochastic effects of chronic and acute doses of radiation.

prescribe shield thicknesses to attenuate radiation sources to a level deemed safe for radiation workers.

use simple deterministic methods for estimating shield thicknesses.

explain the difference between deterministic and statistical methods for performing shielding calculations.

estimate population doses for prescribed source terms given distances and weather conditions.

NE 408 meets three times per week for conventional 50-minute lectures.

The following statement indicates which of the following considerations are included in this course: economic, environmental, ethical, political, societal, health and safety, manufacturability, sustainability.

With the exception of the first third of the course, which is devoted to an exposition of the phenomena of radiation interactions in matter, NE 408 is devoted entirely to the implications of personnel working in and around radiation fields. This is reflected in the discussion of biological effects of radiation, radiation exposure/dose standards, and calculations of shield thicknesses to ensure exposures/doses are below the imposed limits. For these reasons, there is a strong underlying emphasis on health and safety.

NE 408 is focused on satisfying the NE educational objectives by providing an education on a fundamental subject (interaction of radiation with matter, shielding, radiation protection) via problem-solving and design-oriented projects and reports. Most importantly, it focuses on interactions in biological tissue and the implications for people working in an environment where radiation is present. It is a fundamental subject, like NE 405, in that it indirectly allows the student to consider various types of careers in nuclear engineering.

In terms of educational outcomes, NE 408 facilitates the development of abilities:

"to apply advanced mathematics, science and engineering, including atomic and nuclear physics, and the transport and interaction of radiation with matter, to nuclear and radiological systems and processes."