Synopsis
The urgency to address climate change and the diminishing sustainability of fossil fuels has propelled nuclear energy into the forefront of global energy solutions. This advanced textbook aims to provide nuclear science and engineering students with a holistic view and mechanistic understanding on the underlying nuclear physics processes. Based on the award-winning classes the authors have been teaching to first-year graduate students at MIT Nuclear Science and Engineering Department, this book aims to equip the next-generation nuclear scientists and engineers with the knowledge and insights needed to harness the vast potential of nuclear energy responsibly and innovatively. Through the pages of this book, students will journey into the heart of nuclear physics, exploring its foundational principles and the recent technological advancements that promise to redefine our energy future. Numerous Questions, Problems, and research-project-level Capstone Projects are added to facilitate active learning. Fundamentals such as quantum mechanics and latest progress such as machine learning and fusion breakthroughs are introduced in a balanced manner. Our goal is to provide a thorough grounding in the subject matter, preparing students to tackle the challenge on global climate change from a perspective of nuclear radiation interactions.
About the Authors
Sidney Yip is currently Professor Emeritus of Nuclear Science and Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. He earned BS in Mechanical Engineering, MS, and PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He has held positions simultaneously in both Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, until becoming Professor Emeritus in 2009. His early research focused on transport phenomena, liquid state dynamics, and neutron scattering and later switched to modeling, calculation and atomistic simulation of thermal, mechanical and transport properties of crystalline solids with a particular focus on slow dynamics. Overall he has published some four hundred peer-reviewed journal articles. His honors include Fellowship election to the American Physical Society and the Institute of Physics. He has received the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, and the US Senior Scientist Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany. He has also been recognized as an Outstanding Alumnus of the University of Michigan and received the Spira Award for Distinguished Teaching at MIT. He has supervised 15 master's and 44 doctoral students, with publications of several monographs and edited volumes, such as two consecutive editions of the Handbook of Materials Modeling with Springer-Nature. In 2012 he received the Robert W Cahn Award for Science Communications and in 2023 the Sigma Xi Monte Ferst Award for Student Mentoring. Over a span of 5 decades his career consistently reflects deep dedication to research, teaching and the advocacy of computational atomistic modeling and simulations.
Mingda Li is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He earned his BS in Engineering Physics from Tsinghua University in 2009 and his PhD in Nuclear Science and Engineering from MIT in 2015. Following his doctoral studies, he conducted postdoctoral research in MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering. Li's research focuses on applied nuclear technology, using neutron and x-ray scattering to study materials properties for energy and information applications. His teaching has received multiple teaching awards, including the MIT School of Engineering Junior Bose Award.
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