BOOK.
REVIEWS
Radiation damage in reactor materials, Part of the proceedings of the symposium on radiation damage in solids and reactor materials, Venice, 7-11 May 1962. 762 pp. US$ 15.00. New nuclear materials including non-metallic fiwls, Vol. I, Conference proceedings, Prague, 1-5 July 1963. 563 pp. US$ 11.00. New nuclear materials including non-metallic fuels, Vol. II, Conference proceedings, Prague, 1-5 July 1963. 568 pp. US$ 11.00. Operating experience with power reactors, Vol. I, Conference proceedings, Vienna, 5-8 June 1963. 526 pp. US$ 10.00.
R. WILSON, The nucleon-nucleon interaction, experimental and phenomenological aspects. Interscience Tracts on Physics and Astronomy Edited by R. E. Marshak, Vol. 16 (J. Wiley, 1963), pp. 249, Price: 45 sh. As indicated by the sub-title the author stresses experimental and phenomenological aspects of the nucleon-nucleon interaction. The reader gets acquainted with the techniques employed for the measurement of cross sections, the production of beams of polarized particles etc. The book is mainly limited to elastic scattering processes in high-energy experiments; low-energy experiments are dealt with in one chapter. The theoretical background for the analysis of experimental data is pursued and hints are given as to what problems are of immediate interest for further theoretical and experimental treatment. An appendix is included which lists experimental numbers on total and differential cross sections, polarizations and triple scattering parameters.
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It is the type of book that experimentalists look for and it should be of special value as an introduction for graduate students who wish to enter this field of high-energy physics. C. NORDLING
K. SCHMEISER,Radionuclide. Zweite, v611igneubearbeitete Aufiage von Radioaktive Isotope, (Springer Verlag, Berlin G6ttingenHeidelberg, 1963), 234 figs. XII + 282 pp., DM 5 9 . - . Radioisotopes are used more and more in various branches by people of different professions. Many times it can be difficult to determine what isotope is the best one to use or how to get enough information from a source of low activity. A survey of different possibilities of using and detecting radioactive radiation may be helpful in these cases. Such a survey is given in this book. No previous knowledge of nuclear physics is presupposed as the author starts with the fundamental laws. The first third of the book deals with the structure of nuclei, the production of radioisotopes, the interaction between radioactive radiation and matter, the radioactive decay and the accuracy of radioactive measurements. It gives accordingly a good background for the studies of the chief part, where the author discusses different methods of measuring ~-,/3- and y-radiation from sources in various states of aggregation. The common detectors are described together with ordinary and more special uses of them. A rather large part deals with activation analysis and autoradiography. Some examples of technical and medical applications are given and the concluding chapter is devoted to radiation protection. S.-E. KARLSSON