| Prerequisite |
| General knowledge of nuclear physics. |
| Course Objectives |
| Atomic and nuclear radiation are used in many applications. Their detection, the protection against them, are the consequences of their interactions with matter. The objective of this course is to know these interactions and to show their essential applications in detection and radiation safety. |
| Syllabus |
| Charged particle-matter interactions - course - stopping power - Bethe formula - influence of the nature of the particle, the retarding medium - dispersion around the mean value - application to the identification of charged particles - braking radiation - the special case of electrons - Cerenkov effect. Neutral particle-matter interactions - Effective cross section - Free midway - Effects on efficiencies - Fast, slow neutron application - Kinematic - Consequences on kinematic characteristic measurements of neutral particles. Photon-matter interactions - Thomson effects, photoelectric, Compton; pair creation - attenuation coefficients - Influence of medium and photon energy. Atomic rearrangements consecutive to the interaction. Neutron interactions: moderation, nuclear reaction, 1 / v law, fission, resonances. Applications to the principles of detection |
| Practical work (TD or TP) |
| The tutorials focus on applications of the radiation-matter interaction. The practical work involves the interaction of various nuclear radiation in gas, semiconductor and scintillation detectors. |
| Acquired skills |
| Knowledge of basic processes to protect oneself from radiations or to detect them. |
| Bibliography |
| G. F. Knoll, Radiation Detection and Measurement, John Wiley and Sons. - Instrumental Nuclear Physics, Joliot Curie School of Nuclear Physics - |
