Nuclear Forces

Principles of Nuclear Physics

NPE-503
Lecture by: Zahra Ali

Fundamental Forces

Fundamental Forces

Electrostatic Force

Nuclear Forces
protons have a positive electric charge and neutrons
have no electric charge at all, there must be some sort of
extra force a force even stronger than the
electromagnetic force to hold these nuclei together.
a proton and neutron themselves are not fundamental, but
composed of even smaller, fractionally-charged particles
known as quarks.
shown or r 3 fm for the pp force.

Characteristics Of The Nuclear Force.

short range:

It falls to zero so abruptly with inter-particle separation.

The interior nucleons are completely surrounded by
other nucleons with which they interact.

For nuclear force binding energy is B/A

const done by short range and
saturation of nuclear forces.
More accurate form of nuclear force
potential can be obtained by scattering
of nucleons on nucleons or nuclei.

Characteristics Of The Nuclear Force.

Strongly Attractive and Strongly repulsive

The nuclear force is a short range force. Maximal range

~1.7 fm. Two nucleons within about 2 fm of each other
feel an attractive force.
The inter nucleon potential has a hard core that
prevents the nucleons from approaching each other
closer than about 0.4 fm.

Characteristics Of The Nuclear Force.

charge independent
1. The only difference between the np and pp potentials is the
Coulomb potential s
2. The nn system is more difficult to study because free
neutrons are not stable from analyses of experiments.
3. cross sections of nucleon scattering are not dependent on
their electric charge. For nuclear forces neutron and
proton are two different states of single particle - nucleon.
The term nucleon refers to either neutrons or protons because
the neutron and proton can be considered different charge
states of the same particle.

Nuclear Potential

The angular distribution of neutron classically scattered by

protons.
Neutron + proton (np) & proton + proton (pp) elastic.

The nuclear potential

Nature of Nuclear Forces

H. Yukawa proposed corresponding potential based on short range of
nuclear forces and nonzero rest mass of intermediate particles. where
m is mass of intermediate particle
and /mc is its Compton wave length.
mc r

V(r)

Expect strong interaction electric force influences also. Nucleus has

positive charge and for positive charged particle this force produces
Coulomb barrier (range of electric force is larger than this of strong force).

Nature of Nuclear Forces

The strong nuclear force is created between nucleons
by the exchange of particles called mesons.

Nature of Nuclear Forces

Exchange nature of nuclear forces:
Pion exchange mechanisms:

n n + 0
n p + -
p n + +

p + 0 p
p+ -n
n++p

Nucleons swap identities in about 50% of the events

Pion exchange could also provide an explanation for the
magnetic moment of the uncharged neutron
Protons and neutrons emit and absorb mesons. Why their
masses are not changed?

Nature of Nuclear Forces

Uncertainty principle:
Et violation of energy conservation is allowed
if t is shorter then /E.
Maximal range of nuclear forces is R = 1.7 fm.
Then the smallest time of nucleon transit is:
t = R/c.
Value of violation of energy conservation is during
emission of meson with mass m:
E = mc2.
If time of violation will be t we obtain for maximal
possible energy violation (meson mass):
mc2 = c/R (the same as earlier shown)

Summary
Very strong, short-range force between nucleons
Strongly repulsive at very short separations
Strong force is spin-dependent and charge
symmetric
Interaction potential between nucleons comprises
central and non-central components
Yukawa model views the inter-nucleon force in
terms of the exchange of pions (p-mesons)