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Physics A Level > 3.2 Particles and Radiation > Flashcards

3.2 Particles and Radiation Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the type of metre do we measure an atom’s nucleus’ diameter in?

A

Femtometres.

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2
Q

What type of metre do we measure the atomic diameter in?

A

Picometers.

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3
Q

What is the relative mass of an electron?

A

1/1830.

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4
Q

What are the units for specific charge?

A

CKg-1

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5
Q

What is the equation for specific charge?

A

Q/m.

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6
Q

What does Q stand for in Q/m?

A

Charge.

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7
Q

What does m stand for in Q/m?

A

Mass.

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8
Q

What is a nucleon?

A

A particle in the nucleus.

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9
Q

Define isotopes.

A

Versions of the same element, they have the same proton number but different mass (different number of neutrons).

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10
Q

What is another name for the mass number?

A

Nucleon number.

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11
Q

What is another name for the proton number?

A

Atomic number.

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12
Q

What is the strong nuclear force?

A

An attractive force between nucleons.

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13
Q

How far does the strong nuclear force stretch up to?

A

~ 3 fm.

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14
Q

What does strong nuclear force do in an atom?

A

Overcomes the repulsion between positive protons and holds the nucleus together.

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15
Q

What does the strong nuclear force do at short ranges, how short a range and why does it do this?

A

Becomes a repulsive force, 0.5fm, to stop the nucleus from collapsing in on itself.

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16
Q

What is an alpha particle made up of?

A

2 protons, 2 neutrons.

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17
Q

What is an alpha particle represented by?

A

α

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18
Q

What is an alpha particle the same as?

A

A helium nucleus.

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19
Q

Rank the speeds of alpha, gamma, beta from slowest to fastest.

A

Alpha, beta, gamma.

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20
Q

What is the charge of an alpha, what does this mean the particle is?

A

2+, strongly ionising.

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21
Q

What is a beta particle?

A

1 electron.

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22
Q

How do we represent beta, where does it occur?

A

β, neutron rich nuclei.

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23
Q

What is the charge of beta, what does this mean the particle is?

A

-1, weakly ionising.

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24
Q

What do we write for beta’s atomic/proton number?

A

-1.

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25
Q

How does a beta ionise?

A

By pushing/repelling electrons off atoms.

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26
Q

How is a beta particle created?

A

A neutron turns into a proton and an electron (beta).

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27
Q

n -> ? + ? + ?

A

p + β + (anti)Ve

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28
Q

In alpha decay X -> ? + ?.

A

Y + α.

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29
Q

What is the mass number (A) and proton number (Z) of α?

A

A = 4, Z = 2.

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30
Q

In beta decay X -> ? + ? + ?

A

Y + β + (anti)Ve

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31
Q

What is the mass number (A) and proton number (Z) of β?

A

A = 0, Z = -1.

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32
Q

Which type of decay happens in large, heavy nuclei?

A

α.

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33
Q

Which type of decay happens in proton-rich nuclei?

A

β+, electron capture.

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34
Q

How are alpha particles emitted from the nucleus?

A

The repelling of the other protons overcomes the strong nuclear force and pushes it out.

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35
Q

In a cloud chamber what qualities do alpha trails share, and why?

A

Length, because all alpha have the same kinetic energy.

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36
Q

For beta trails, do they share length, and why?

A

They don’t share length, they have varying kinetic energy, but the parent nucleus still loses the same energy.

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37
Q

What explains the extra energy lost in beta decay?

A

The antineutrino.

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38
Q

What qualities do corresponding particles and antiparticles share?

A

Rest mass and rest energy.

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39
Q

What qualities do corresponding particles and antiparticles do not share?

A

Charge, baryon, lepton and strangeness numbers are opposing.

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40
Q

1eV = how many J?

A

1.60x10^-19

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41
Q

How many eVs are in 1MeV?

A

1 million.

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42
Q

Rest energy is the energy equivalent to what?

A

Rest mass (when converted into energy).

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43
Q

Energy = ??

A

hf

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44
Q

What is h?

A

The plank constant.

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45
Q

What is f?

A

Frequency of a light wave.

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46
Q

Light waves can be considered to be a stream of what?

A

‘Discrete’ packets of energy called photons.

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47
Q

What is the electromagnetic spectrum in order?

A

Radio, Microwave, Infrared, Visible, Ultraviolet, X-ray, Gamma ray

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48
Q

What is the longest wave length in the EM spectrum?

A

Radio.

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49
Q

What is the order of the visible light spectrum?

A

ROYGBIV

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50
Q

What on the EM spectrum has the lowest frequency?

A

Radio waves.

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51
Q

Wavelength can be represented as what?

A

λ.

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52
Q

What happens in pair production?

A

Energy is converted into mass in the form of a particle-antiparticle pair.

53
Q

Where does the energy come from in pair production?

A

A collision or gamma photon.

54
Q

p = ??

A

mv

55
Q

What can a gamma photon spontaneously do and where does it does this?

A

Convert its energy into mass in the form of a particle-antiparticle pair, usually near a nucleus, which then recoils to conserve momentum.

56
Q

What is annihilation?

A

Where a particle meets its antiparticle counterpart and they convert their mass into energy into the form of a pair of gamma photons.

57
Q

What are the four fundamental interactions?

A

Strong nuclear (or strong interaction), weak nuclear, electromagnetic (including electrostatic), gravity.

58
Q

What is another name for exchange particles?

A

Gauge bosons.

59
Q

What are the exchange particles for strong nuclear force?

A

Pion, π+, π-, π0.

60
Q

What are the exchange particles for weak nuclear force?

A

Bosons, W+ and W-

61
Q

What are the exchange particles for electromagnetic force?

A

Virtual photon.

62
Q

What is the exchange particle for gravity?

A

Graviton.

63
Q

What do exchange particles do?

A

Pass between particles to carry the force, energy, charge and momentum across.

64
Q

The smaller the mass of the exchange particle the…?

A

Greater the range of the force.

65
Q

When drawing a representation of particles repelling using people, what are the people doing?

A

Person 1 throws a ball, recoils, then person 2 gets hit by the ball and recoils.

66
Q

When drawing a representation of particles attracting using people, what are the people doing?

A

Person 1 throws a boomerang away from person 2, person 1 recoils, boomerang hits person 2, they recoil.

67
Q

Can exchange particles be overcome by more of a different exchange particle? If so give an example of this.

A

Yes, eg in a nucleus pions can attract more than virtual photons repel (not always).

68
Q

What’s the symbol for an antineutrino?

A

νe, with a bar over it.

69
Q

In a Feynman diagram what is usually on the left and what is usually on the right?

A

Left is baryons, right is leptons.

70
Q

In a Feynman diagram what increases as in diagram from bottom to top?

A

Time.

71
Q

What is the wiggly line on a Feynman diagram?

A

The exchange particle.

72
Q

What is always conserved at the junctions in a Feynman diagram?

A

Charge, baryon and lepton numbers.

73
Q

In a Feynman diagram does it matter if the arrow for the exchange particle is on the left or right?

A

No.

74
Q

In a Feynman diagram for beta- decay what goes into and what comes out of the first junction? And what direction does the exchange particle go in?

A

Neutron goes in, proton and W- exchange particle goes out. W- to the right.

75
Q

In a Feynman diagram for beta- decay what goes into and what comes out of the second junction?

A

W- exchange particle goes in, β- and a (anti)νe (antineutrino) comes out.

76
Q

What is the equation for β+ decay?

A

p -> n + β+ νe

77
Q

In a Feynman diagram for beta+ decay what goes into and what comes out of the first junction?

A

Proton goes in, neutron and W+ exchange particle comes out.

78
Q

In a Feynman diagram for beta+ decay what goes into and what comes out of the second junction?

A

W+ exchange particle goes in, β+ and νe comes out.

79
Q

What happens in electron-capture?

A

An inner shell electron is captured by a proton in the nucleus (becoming a neutron).

80
Q

What is the equation for electron-capture?

A

p + e- -> n + νe

81
Q

In what sort of nucleus does electron capture occur?

A

Proton-rich.

82
Q

In a Feynman diagram for electron capture what goes into and what comes out of the first junction? And what direction is the exchange particle in?

A

Proton goes in, neutron and W+ exchange particle comes out. W+ to the right.

83
Q

In a Feynman diagram for electron capture what goes into and what comes out of the second junction?

A

W+ exchange particle and e- goes in, νe comes out.

84
Q

W+ to the right is the same of what?

A

W- to the left.

85
Q

What happens in proton-electron collision?

A

A proton and electron collide (duh).

86
Q

What sort of nucleus does proton-electron collision happen in?

A

A stable one.

87
Q

The Feynman diagram for proton-electron collision is the same as what?

A

Electron capture.

88
Q

What is a hadron and what are they composed of?

A

They are composed of quarks and antiquarks, they experience the strong interaction/ strong nuclear force.

89
Q

What are the types of hadron?

A

Baryons, antibaryons, mesons.

90
Q

Name the baryons.

A

Proton (p) and neutron (n).

91
Q

What are baryons made up of?

A

3 quarks.

92
Q

What are the baryon numbers for protons and neutrons?

A

B = +1.

93
Q

Name the antibaryons.

A

Antiproton (bar over p) and antineutron (bar over n).

94
Q

What are the antibaryons made up of?

A

3 antiquarks.

95
Q

What are the baryon numbers for antiprotons and antineutrons?

A

B = -1.

96
Q

What is special about the pion?

A

It’s the exchange particle for strong nuclear force.

97
Q

What are the mesons?

A

Pion and kaon.

98
Q

What are the types of pion?

A

π+, π-, π0.

99
Q

What are the types of kaon?

A

K+, K-, K0, K0(with a bar).

100
Q

What are mesons made up of?

A

A quark and antiquark pair.

101
Q

What is special about a proton?

A

It’s the only stable baryon into which other baryons eventually decay (think beta- decay).

102
Q

What is the baryon number all of mesons?

A

B = 0, they aren’t baryons.

103
Q

What always happens to the baryon and lepton number?

A

It gets conserved.

104
Q

What can a kaon do?

A

Decay into a pion.

105
Q

What is a kaon?

A

A strange particle.

106
Q

What is a lepton?

A

A particle that doesn’t experience the strong interaction/ strong nuclear force.

107
Q

What are the leptons that aren’t neutrinos?

A

Electron (e-), positron (e+), muon (μ-) and antimuon (μ+).

108
Q

What are the leptons that are neutrinos?

A

Electron neutrino (νe), electron antineutrino (νe, with a bar), muon neutrino (νμ), muon antineutrino (νμ, with a bar).

109
Q

What are the two types of lepton number?

A

Electron lepton number (Le) and muon lepton number (Lμ).

110
Q

Should the two types of lepton number be considered differently?

A

Yes.

111
Q

What is the Le of an electron and electron neutrino?

A

+1.

112
Q

What is the Le of a positron and an electron antineutrino?

A

-1.

113
Q

What is the Lμ of a muon and muon neutrino?

A

+1.

114
Q

What is the Lμ of an antimuon and muon antineutrino?

A

-1.

115
Q

Electrons are what?

A

Stable and do not decay.

116
Q

A muon decays into what?

A

An electron.

117
Q

What are leptons not involved with?

A

Strange particles.

118
Q

What do strange particles contain?

A

Strange or antistrange quarks.

119
Q

What type of particle are strange particles?

A

Hadrons.

120
Q

Strange particles are produced in what?

A

Strong interactions.

121
Q

Strange particles decay via what?

A

Weak interactions.

122
Q

Strong interactions must conserve what?

A

Strangeness.

123
Q

Strange particles are always produced in what, why?

A

Pairs of s=+1 and s=-1, because strangeness is always conserved in strong interactions.

124
Q

Do weak interactions have to conserve strangeness?

A

No.

125
Q

What can weak interactions change strangeness by?

A

0 (no change), +1 or -1.

126
Q

What is the strangeness of a K+ and K0 particle?

A

+1.

127
Q

What is the strangeness of a K- and a K0(with a bar)?

A

-1.

128
Q

What are the types of quark?

A

Up (u), down (d), strange (s).

Physics A Level (15 decks)

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