2022 Faculty Courses School of Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering Graduate major in Nuclear Engineering
Application of Accelerators and Radiation
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Nuclear Engineering
- Instructor(s)
- Yoshiyuki Oguri / Tatsuya Katabuchi
- Class Format
- Lecture (Livestream)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 1-2 Thu (North No.2, 5F-571)
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- NCL.A404
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2022
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course is intended to provide an overview of industrial, medical, agricultural and scientific application of radiation obtained from particle accelerators and radioisotopes.
Emphasis is given not only to explain principles of these techniques, but also to show how they are used in practical cases.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Explain basic principles of various kinds of techniques based on radiation-matter interaction.
2. Gain knowledge of trends in radiation application, which is an important part of nuclear engineering.
3. Understand the importance of this field of science and technology in modern society.
Keywords
Accelerator, radioisotope, medical application, materials science, radiation-matter interaction, nuclear reaction, industrial application, ion beam, neutron beam, electron beam, X-ray
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
The lectures are based on the slides which are accessible online. A quiz will be given at the end of each session.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Production of radioisotopes and its application | Explain production methods of radioisotopes and its application. |
| Class 2 | Neutron capture therapy | Explain principle of neutron capture therapy and its advantages. |
| Class 3 | Industrial application of neutron beams | Explain industrial application of neutron beams. |
| Class 4 | Nuclear transmutation of long-lived radioactive nuclides using accelerators | Explain principle of nuclear transmutation of long-lived radioactive nuclides using accelerators, and its advantages. |
| Class 5 | Materials characterization based on ion beams | Explain basic principles of materials characterization by RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry), PIXE (Particle-Induced X-ray Emission), ERDA (Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis) and NRA (Nuclear Reaction Analysis). |
| Class 6 | (1) Ion implantation (2) Heavy-ion cancer therapy (3) Non-destructive testing | (1) Explain principle of ion implantation technique for materials processing and its advantage. (2) Explain principle of cancer therapy using high-energy heavy-ion beams and its advantage (3) Explain non-destructive inspection techniques for thick samples using high-energy photons. |
| Class 7 | (1) Modification of polymer materials (2) Food irradiation (3) Insect eradication | (1) Explain modification of polymer materials by radiation-induced chemical reactions (2) Explain food irradiation for sterilization and sprout inhibition. (3) Explain insect eradication technique based on radiation-induced sterility. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
None specified
Reference books, course materials, etc.
[Course materials]:
Course materials are available at T2SCHOLA.
[Reference books]:
Wolfgang Sauerwein, Andrea Wittig, Raymond Moss and Yoshinobu Nakagawa (Editors), "Neutron Capture Therapy: Principles and Applications", Springer, ISBN-13: 978-3642313332 (2012).
Michael Nastasi, James W. Mayer and Yongqiang Wang, "Ion Beam Analysis: Fundamentals and Applications", CRC Press, ISBN-13: 978-1439846384 (2014).
Arabinda Kumar Rath and Narayan Sahoo (Editors), "Particle Radiotherapy: Emerging Technology for Treatment of Cancer", Springer, ISBN-13: 978-8132226215 (2016).
R. Halmshaw, "Industrial Radiology: Theory and practice (Non-Destructive Evaluation Series)", Springer, ISBN-13: 978-0412627804 (1995).
Evaluation methods and criteria
Assessment is based on a quiz at the end of each session.
Related courses
- NCL.N401 ： Basic Nuclear Physics
- NCL.N402 ： Neutron Transport Theory
- NCL.A403 ： Particle Accelerator Engineering
Prerequisites
Students must have successfully completed "NCL.N401: Basic Nuclear Physics", "NCL.N402: Neutron Transport Theory" and "NCL.A403: Particle Accelerator Engineering", or have equivalent knowledge.