Nuclear Physics For Engineers (ENEL2NPH2)

Tutorial #1

1. How much kinetic energy must an alpha particle have before its distance of closest approach to a gold nucleus
is equal to the nuclear radius (7.0 × 10−15 m)?
2. In the n = 3 state of hydrogen, find the electron’s velocity, kinetic energy and potential energy.
3. An electron is in the n = 5 state of hydrogen. To what states can the electron make transitions, and what are
the energies of the emitted radiations?
4. A hydrogen atom is in the n = 6 state.
(a) Counting all possible paths, how many different photon energies can be emitted if the atom ends up in the
ground state?
(b) Suppose only ∆n = 1 transitions were allowed. How many different photon energies will be emitted?
5. Draw an energy level diagram showing the lowest four levels of singly ionized helium. Show all possible transitions
from the levels and label each transition with its wavelength.
6. An alternative development of the Bohr theory begins by assuming that stationary states are those for which
the circumference of the orbit is an integral number of de Broglie wavelengths.
(a) Show that this condition leads to standing de Broglie waves around the orbit.
(b) Show that the condition gives the angular momentum quantization condition.
7. A hydrogen atom is excited from a state with n = 1 to one with n = 4.
(a) Calculate the energy that must be absorbed by the atom.
(b) Calculate and display on an energy level diagram the different photon energies that may be emitted if the
atom returns to its n = 1 state.
(c) Calculate the recoil speed of the hydrogen atom, assumed initially at rest, if it makes a transition from the
n = 4 to n = 1 state in a single quantum ’jump’.
8. A hydrogen atom in a state having a binding energy of 0.85 eV makes a transition to a state with an excitation
energy of 10.2 eV.
(a) Find the energy of the emitted photon.
(b) Show the transition on an energy level diagram of hydrogen, labelling the appropriate quantum numbers.
9. The ground state wave function for hydrogen (the (n, l, ml ) = (1, 0, 0) state) is
1
ψ100 (r) = √ 3 e−r/a0 ,
πa0

where a0 is the Bohr radius.

∫
(a) Show that this wave function is normalized, i.e. |ψ|2 dV = 1.
(b) What is the probability that the electron can be found a distance less than a0 from the nucleus?

Constants and conversions:

1 eV = 1.602 ×10−19 J ~ = 1.054 × 10−34 J.s hc = 1240 eV.nm
e2
4πε0 = 1.440 eV.nm me = 9.1 × 10−31 kg = 0.511 Mev/c2 a0 = 0.0529 nm