2023 Faculty Courses School of Science Department of Physics Graduate major in Physics
Special Lectures in Physics XLVIII
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Physics
- Instructor(s)
- Masaaki Kimura
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - Intensive
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- PHY.P589
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2023
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 8, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Clusters are a universal phenomenon appearing in various hierarchies of matter, and they play an essential role in atomic nucleus systems as well. In this lecture, we will introduce various phenomena in atomic nucleus systems involving clusters and provide a detailed explanation of the theoretical models used to describe them from the fundamentals. Moreover, we will also introduce numerical calculations of atomic nucleus systems using quantum computers.
Course description and aims
・Qualitative understanding of the properties of nuclear clusters.
・Learn the various nuclear phenomena in which clusters are involved.
・Learn the basic of quantum computing and application to nuclear systems.
Keywords
Nuclear clusters, nuclear reaction, unstable nuclei, triple-alpha reaction, quantum computing
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
The course is based on lectures with presentation slides.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction: Cluster phenomena in atomic nuclei | Students will learn an overview of cluster phenomena in atomic nuclei. |
| Class 2 | Description of nuclear clusters by wave packet | Students will learn how to describe nuclear clusters using Gaussian wave packets. |
| Class 3 | Cluster state of stable nuclei | Students will learn about the cluster states which appear in stable nuclei. |
| Class 4 | Cluster state of unstable nuclei | Students will learn about the cluster states which appear in unstable nuclei. |
| Class 5 | Observation of clusters by experiments | Students will learn how to experimentally confirm the formation of clusters. |
| Class 6 | Hoyle state and the related topics | Students will learn the properties of the Hoyle state and related topics such as linear-chain state. |
| Class 7 | Basic of quantum computing | Learning the Principles and Advantages of Quantum Computing. |
| Class 8 | Quantum computing for nuclear systems | Learning the Applications of Quantum Computing to Atomic Nuclei Systems. |
| Class 9 | Practical applications of quantum computing | Practical Quantum Computing Using Quantum Circuit Simulators. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
Textbook(s)
Will be indicated during the lectures.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Will be given during the lectures.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Will be assessed based on some report(s) given in the lectures, in addition to students' attendance.
Related courses
- PHY.Q208 ： Quantum Mechanics II（Lecture)
- PHY.Q311 ： Quantum Mechanics III（Lecture)
- PHY.Q438 ： Quantum Mechanics of Many-Body Systems
Prerequisites
Students should have basic knowledge on quantum mechanics.