Courses:

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The central problem of reactor physics can be stated quite simply. It is to compute, for any time t, the characteristics of the free-neutron population throughout an extended region of space containing an arbitrary, but known, mixture of materials. Specifically we wish to know the number of neutrons in any infinitesimal volume dV that have kinetic energies between E and E + ΔE and are traveling in directions within an infinitesimal angle of a fixed direction specified by the unit vector Ω.

If this number is known, we can use the basic data obtained experimentally and theoretically from low-energy neutron physics to predict the rates at which all possible nuclear reactions, including fission, will take place throughout the region. Thus we can predict how much nuclear power will be generated at any given time at any location in the region.

The text book for this course is:

Lamarsh, John. Introduction to Nuclear Engineering. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001. ISBN: 9780201824988.
This covers basic reactor physics as part of a complete survey of nuclear engineering.

Readings may also be assigned from certain of the books listed below:

Henry, A. F. Nuclear Reactor Analysis. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1975. ISBN: 9780262080811.

Shultis, J., and R. Faw. Fundamentals of Nuclear Science and Engineering. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, 2002. ISBN: 9780824708344.

Hewitt, G., and J. Collier. Introduction to Nuclear Power. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis, 2000. ISBN: 9781560324546.

Turner, J. Atoms, Radiation, and Radiation Protection. New York, NY: Pergamon Press, 1986. ISBN: 9780080319377.

Kneif, R. Nuclear Criticality Safety: Theory and Practice. American Nuclear Society, 1985. ISBN: 9780894480287.

Knoll, G. Radiation Detection and Measurement. New York, NY: Wiley, 2000. ISBN: 9780471073383.