The Euroschool Lectures on Physics with Exotic Beams, Vol. III (Lecture Notes in Physics)

by Jim Al-Khalili

This is the third and ?nal volume in a series of Lecture Notes based on the highlysuccessfulEuroSummerSchoolonExoticBeamsthathasbeenrunning yearly since 1993 (apart from 1999) and is planned to continue to do so. It is the aim of the series to provide an introduction to Radioactive Ion Beam (RIB) physics at the level of graduate students and young postdocs starting out in the ?eld. Each volume contains lectures covering a range of topics from nuclear theory to experiment to applications. Our understanding of atomic nuclei has undergone a major re-orientation over the past two decades and seen the emergence of an exciting ?eld of the study of ‘exotic’ nuclei. The availability of energetic beams of short-lived nuclei, referred to as ‘radioactive ion beams’ (RIBs), has opened the way to the study of the structure and dynamics of thousands of nuclear species never before observed in the laboratory. This ?eld has now become one of the most important and fast-moving in physics worldwide. And it is fair to say that Europe leads the way with a number of large international projects starting up in the next few years, such as the FAIR facility at GSI in Germany. From a broader perspective, one must also highlight just how widely RIB physics impacts on other areas, from energy and the environment to medicine and materials science.

Hardcover

First published December 28, 2008

About the author

Dr. Jameel Sadik "Jim" Al-Khalili is an Iraqi-British theoretical physicist, author and broadcaster. He is professor of theoretical physics and chair in the public engagement in science at the University of Surrey. He is a regular broadcaster and presenter of science programmes on BBC radio and television, and a frequent commentator about science in other British media.

In 2014, Al-Khalili was named as a RISE (Recognising Inspirational Scientists and Engineers) leader by the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). He was President of Humanists UK between January 2013 and January 2016.