Topic outline

  • General

    Description

    Radiation damage is of major concern for materials in nuclear reactors, particle accelerators, and in devices employed in other high-radiation environments such as in space. This course teaches the fundamentals of the radiation damage process, and gives an overview of the microscopic and macroscopic effects of irradiation on materials. Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be aware of the challenges posed to materials in radiation-intensive environments.

    Learning sessions will take place in the form of online lectures via Zoom, including interactive elements such as discussions and polls. There will be mandatory reading material for some of the learning sessions. The students will solve exercise problems and write learning diaries. During exercise sessions there will be demonstrations and group work.

    The students will produce a project work in small groups, which will be presented at the end of the course either as a written report, a poster, or an oral presentation (depending on the number of participants). 


    Learning outcomes

    After completion of the course you will be able to

    • understand the basics of the formation processes and characteristics of radiation damage in crystalline materials

    • compute basic properties related to radiation damage in materials

    • describe the effects of radiation damage on physical and mechanical properties of materials

    • identify how materials’ response to irradiation can be studied with both experimental and computational means



    Course structure and workload

    Lectures = 12h

    Exercise sessions = 10h

    Group project work = 20h

    Assignments = 20h

    Independent work = 15h

    No exam



    Evaluation criteria: Grade 1-5

    50% attendance in the lectures is mandatory.

    Exercises (3): 30% of the grade

    Group project work: 30% of the grade

    Learning diaries (2): 20 %

    Self-evaluation: 20%


    Prerequisites

    • B.Sc.-level physics

    • Materials physics basics, e.g. from the course PHYS-C0240 Materiaalifysiikka