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Welcome to the Nuclear Masterclass!
Welcome to the Nuclear Masterclass!
In this masterclass, you will find out more about cutting-edge research in Nuclear Physics and applications of nuclear technologies with experts from around the world. This masterclass assumes GCSE-level knowledge (or equivalent). If you want to refresh your understanding, check out the Introduction to Nuclear Physics.
In order to gain a certificate, you can work through the content at your own pace, but must complete all six modules below by Friday 25th April 2025. Each module includes a mixture of written content, videos, activities and questions. To complete each module, work through the activities and Isaac Physics questions outlined in the 'Course Requirements' at the top of each module page and highlighted in orange throughout the page.
Please note that you must be registered for the masterclass in order to receive a certificate. If you are not registered, please contact physics-bindingblocks@york.ac.uk for assistance.
If you need help or have questions, use the Question Forum. You can ask questions at any time and these will be answered live from 1pm - 2pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with a break from 16th - 21st April.
There are also weekly live webinars, which are a fantastic opportunity to find out more about current research. A link to join the webinars will be emailed to you on the Monday before each webinar, and repeated one hour before the webinar starts. Recordings of the webinars will be available the week following each event.
In our first module, we explore the Nuclear Chart, showing all of the isotopes discovered so far. Refresh your understanding of the different decay types, follow nuclear decay chains, explore the concept and applications of binding energy, and investigate half-lives. This first module will give you all of the building blocks you need to explore Nuclear Physics in more detail.
From historic experiments that revealed the structure of the atom, to cutting edge detectors and particle accelerators, in this module you'll explore how discoveries in Nuclear Physics have been made, and get a glimpse of some of the exciting cutting-edge research that's currently being undertaken around the world.
In this module, we investigate the life cycle of stars - from fusion taking place in main sequence stars, to the nuclear reactions happening during stellar explosions. Discover the origins of the elements and find out about the roles of different isotopes in these processes. Investigate a model of the nucleus using an interactive simulation, and use this to explore the size and density of neutron stars.
In this module we bring nuclear fusion, the process that powers the stars, down to Earth. Find out about this potential method of power generation that could solve the energy crisis. From tokamaks to laser-driven fusion, discover the interface between nuclear and plasma physics and explore the devices being used to create temperatures more than ten times hotter than the centre of the Sun.
In this module, we explore Nuclear Medicine - from imaging techniques to treatment of diseases such as cancer. Discover what medical physicists do; find out how PET scanners work, and how quantum entanglement can make these more effective; and use computer modeling to investigate proton-beam therapy and optimise treatment.
This is an opportunity to delve inside the nucleus. Protons and neutrons are both examples of hadrons - particles composed of quarks that therefore feel the strong force. In this module, discover some of the more exotic quark combinations and newly discovered particles that may give us the answer to questions such as 'What is dark matter?'.
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