The "Hull Collection," several books recommended by Richard over the last decade-and-a-half.
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:05 pm
About 7 years ago, after I entered the Neutron Club, I went through fusor.net's Books & References section and bought a bunch that Richard Hull recommended. Here's my quick review:
"Nuclear Radiation Physics" by Lapp and Andrews. I have the 1948 edition, and agree with Richard that the earlier versions have a bit of charm that's sanitized in later prints. It covers the experiments that discovered X-rays, alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, and has a synopsis of accelerator development.
"Ions, Electrons and Ionizing Radiations" by J.A. Crowther. Similar to "Nuclear Radiation Physics," talks about fundamental radiation properties. It starts off with a more in-depth analysis of creating plasmas and passing currents through gases. My favorite part is chapter XI, in which Rutherford's experiment is detailed, where he discovered the nature of alpha radiation. He allowed radium emissions to enter an evacuated vessel for several hours, then passed a current through it. The vessel glowed as if it was full of helium, which proved that alpha emissions were helium nuclei.
"Introduction to Experimental Physics" by William Fretter. A very nice experimentalist's guide to nuclear apparatus. Covers vacuum technique, particle counters, Geiger counters, nuclear emissions, cloud chambers, particle accelerators, and spectroscopy. Very easy to read; it covers a lot of advanced topics, but you don't need a Ph.D. in physics or mathematics to understand it.
"The Curve of Binding Energy" by John McPhee. A must-have for any of us interested in nuclear physics. It's written by a journalist, so it's slightly sensationalized, but still a good and entertaining story.
"The Radioactive Boy Scout," by Ken Silverstein. Another somewhat-sensationalized tale, but factually accurate. I think all of us have heard of David Hahn at some point. While we may see him as reckless, and would not make the same decisions he did, I think most of us see him as a kindred spirit. I mean, we're building nuclear fusion devices in our homes, after all.
"Building Scientific Apparatus", Moore, Davis and Coplan. Now, THIS is the book to have for most of us. It dabbles in a bit of everything; electronics, glass forming, vacuum technology, optics, power supplies, data acquisition, general shop practices & tool use, etc. Probably one of the best amateur scientist texts.
"Fusion" by Bromberg. Printed in 1982, so it's "out of date" by 40 years. BUT, that's not a bad thing. I read a 1978 DOE publication called 'Plasma Heating, Fueling, and Maintenance: A Technical Assessment," in which several fusion design challenges are outlined, and most are the same challenges still being encountered today. Don't dismiss "Fusion" for it's age; it's a good book detailing everything that lead to the tokamak-centric research of today, for better or worse. :/
"Nuclear Radiation Physics" by Lapp and Andrews. I have the 1948 edition, and agree with Richard that the earlier versions have a bit of charm that's sanitized in later prints. It covers the experiments that discovered X-rays, alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, and has a synopsis of accelerator development.
"Ions, Electrons and Ionizing Radiations" by J.A. Crowther. Similar to "Nuclear Radiation Physics," talks about fundamental radiation properties. It starts off with a more in-depth analysis of creating plasmas and passing currents through gases. My favorite part is chapter XI, in which Rutherford's experiment is detailed, where he discovered the nature of alpha radiation. He allowed radium emissions to enter an evacuated vessel for several hours, then passed a current through it. The vessel glowed as if it was full of helium, which proved that alpha emissions were helium nuclei.
"Introduction to Experimental Physics" by William Fretter. A very nice experimentalist's guide to nuclear apparatus. Covers vacuum technique, particle counters, Geiger counters, nuclear emissions, cloud chambers, particle accelerators, and spectroscopy. Very easy to read; it covers a lot of advanced topics, but you don't need a Ph.D. in physics or mathematics to understand it.
"The Curve of Binding Energy" by John McPhee. A must-have for any of us interested in nuclear physics. It's written by a journalist, so it's slightly sensationalized, but still a good and entertaining story.
"The Radioactive Boy Scout," by Ken Silverstein. Another somewhat-sensationalized tale, but factually accurate. I think all of us have heard of David Hahn at some point. While we may see him as reckless, and would not make the same decisions he did, I think most of us see him as a kindred spirit. I mean, we're building nuclear fusion devices in our homes, after all.
"Building Scientific Apparatus", Moore, Davis and Coplan. Now, THIS is the book to have for most of us. It dabbles in a bit of everything; electronics, glass forming, vacuum technology, optics, power supplies, data acquisition, general shop practices & tool use, etc. Probably one of the best amateur scientist texts.
"Fusion" by Bromberg. Printed in 1982, so it's "out of date" by 40 years. BUT, that's not a bad thing. I read a 1978 DOE publication called 'Plasma Heating, Fueling, and Maintenance: A Technical Assessment," in which several fusion design challenges are outlined, and most are the same challenges still being encountered today. Don't dismiss "Fusion" for it's age; it's a good book detailing everything that lead to the tokamak-centric research of today, for better or worse. :/