The present text grew out of a number of lecture courses for advanced under- graduate and new graduate students in nuclear physics. They were given at summer schools in Leuven, Melbourne, and at study weeks for Dutch grad- uate students which aimed to emphasize fundamental and topical aspects of nuclear physics. On occasion, part of the present text was presented to stu- dents from a much wider field than just nuclear physics and also within a number of general physics colloquia, where, in addition to nuclear physicists, physicists from many other fields were present. In this respect, the...

The present text grew out of a number of lecture courses for advanced under graduate and new graduate students in nuclear physics. They were given at summer schools in Leuven, Melbourne, and at study weeks for Dutch grad uate students which aimed to emphasize fundamental and topical aspects of nuclear physics. On occasion, part of the present text was presented to stu dents from a much wider field than just nuclear physics and also within a number of general physics colloquia, where, in addition to nuclear physicists, physicists from many other fields were present. In this respect, the...