Chapter 2 - Radiation And The Atom Flashcards
Changes in trajectory
Scattering
Removal of the radiation
Absorption
Energy to mass conversion
Transformation
Discrete particle-like packets OR quanta of energy
Photons
Maximal height; intensity of the wave
Amplitude
Distance between any two identical points on adjacent cycles
Wavelength
Time required to complete one cycle of a wave
Period
Number of periods that occur per second
Frequency
Temporal shift of one wave with respect to the other
Phase
Energy acquired by an electron as it traverses an electrical potential difference (voltage) of one volt in a vacuum
One electron volt
An atom or molecule that has lost or gained one or more electrons has a net electrical charge
Ion
Frequency higher than the far UV region of the spectrum that have sufficient energy per photon to remove bound electrons from atomic shells (X-rays and gamma rays)
Ionizing radiation
Electromagnetic radiation with photon energies in and below the UV region (visible, infrared, terahertz, microwave and radio waves)
Non-ionization radiation
Minimum energies necessary to remove an electron
Ionization energy
Electrons emitted by the nuclei of radioactive atoms
Beta particles
Indistinguishable from ordinary orbital electrons; nuclear in origin
Beta minus particles or negatrons
Positively-charged electrons; they are form of antimatter that ultimately combines with matter in a unique transformation in which all off their mass is instantaneously converted to an equivalent amount of energy in the form of high energy gamma rays
Beta plus particles or positrons
Consists of two protons and two neutrons
Alpha particle
1/12th of the mass of carbon
Atomic mass unit(amu)
Outer shell of an electron
Valence shell
Energy required to remove an orbital electron completely from the atom
Orbital binding energy
Series of transitions wherein an electron is removed from its shell by an X-ray or gamma ray photon or a charged particle leaving a vacancy that in turn may be filled by an electron transition from a more distant shell
Electron cascade
Emissions from transitions exceeding 100eV
Characteristic or fluorescent X-rays
A competing process that predominates in low Z elements; an electron cascade does not always result in the production of a characteristic X-Ray or xrays
Auger electron emission
Probability that the electron transition will result in the emission of a characteristic X-ray
Fluorescent yield
Protons + neutrons; collectively known as nucleons
Nucleus
Number of protons in the nucleus
Atomic number (Z)
Total number of protons and neutrons within the nucleus
Mass number
Exchange forces; hold the nucleus together but operate only over very short (nuclear) distances(<10^-14m)
Strong force
Lowest energy state of an atomic nucleus
Ground state
Nuclei with energy in excess of the ground states
Excited states
Excited states that exist longer than 10^-12s
Metastable or isometric state
Same number of Protons
Isotopes
Same atomic mass number
Isobars
Same number of neutrons
Isotones
With the different nuclear energy state
Isomers
