Review

● Atomic and nuclear mass, binding energy

● Decay law
● Decay probability, half life time, mean life time
● Life time for particles at relativistic energies
● Nuclear radius
 Nuclear Radius
Nuclei can have very different shapes
and diffuse surfaces
How can the radius be defined?

● Radius R½ at half the nuclear density 6Li

  R1 / 2  =   0  / 2
What does the density distribution
● mean radius <r>
refer to?
〈r 〉 =∫   r  r d 
r
Charge or Matter distribution?
● root mean square radius <r2>1/2
〈 r 〉 = ∫   r  r d r
2 2
Electron Scattering and Form Factors
The Form Factor F 
q = ∫ r  e i
qr
d r
is the Fourier transform of the density distribution and
describes the extension of the object in q-space
2
q ∣ is the response of the object when probed by
∣F 
a projectile transferring a momentum q

Consequences:
● the more confined the density distribution is, the more

extended the object is in q-space

● Elastic scattering from a point source is flatter as a function

of the scattering angle compared to an extended object

 Form Factor and Cross Section
The elastic electron scattering cross section is given by
2 4 2
d 2 4m e Z 2
q ∣ =
=∣f  4 4 q =∫ r  e d r
q ∣ with F 
∣F   i
qr
d q ℏ
Rutherford scattering
point charge

and using relativistic kinematics (but: non relativistic Schrödinger eqn!)

d Ze 2 2 1 2 d d 2
=  q ∣
∣F  =  ∣F q ∣
4
d  2 E sin /2 d  d  Rutherford
Spherically symmetric charge distribution
Example: Compare the r.m.s. radius <r2>½ with the radius for a
uniform sphere with density 0 and radius R.
 Fermi distribution
0
 r =  r− R1/ 2 / a
1e
t
a=diffuseness=
4⋅ln3
t =r  / 0 =0.1−r  /0 =0.9

2 2
2 3 2 7  a
〈 r 〉 = R1 / 2 
5 5
for a sharp Fermi distribution the r.m.s radius
takes the value of a sphere
 Gaussian density distribution
Example: Calculate the form factor and the r.m.s. radius for th e
Gaussian density distribution

2
− r / b
 r =0⋅e
Compare to experiment: e- scattering on 16 O
Application: Calculate elastic e- scattering at 420 MeV on 16 O
for different charge distributions and compare with experimental
data
d Ze 2 2 1 2
cross section =  4
∣F q ∣
d  2 E sin /2
E total energy of e- in CM
Z charge of target
q momentum transfer
q =∣q∣=∣pi − pf ∣= 2 p sin  / 2

form factor F q =∫  r  e i

qr
d r =∫ r  sin qr  d r

normalization ∫ r  d r =1