Particle Physics Flashcards

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1
Q

How is Rutherford’s Scattering experiment conducted?

A

beam of alpha particles from a radioactive source were targeted towards a thin gold foil

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2
Q

Rutherford’s: Most alpha particles went straight through the gold foil, what does this show?

A

gold atoms were mostly emptty space

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3
Q

Rutherford’s: Some alpha particles were scattered at angles greater than 90 degrees, what does this show?

A

each gold atom has a positive nucleus with a radius less than about 10^-14m

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4
Q

Rutherford’s: What is the scattering of alpha due to?

A

electrostatic repulsion by the gold nucleus

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5
Q

What is the nucleus made up from?

A

neutrons and protons

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6
Q

What is a nucleon?

A

neutron or proton

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7
Q

What is the nucleus surrounded by?

A

cloud of electrons

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8
Q

What is equal in a neutral atom?

A

number of protons and electrons

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9
Q

How do you calculate the number of neutrons in an atom?

A

nucleon number - proton/atomic number

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10
Q

What is an isotope?

A

nuclei of the same element that have the same number of protons but different number of neutrons

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11
Q

What is the mass of a particle quoted in?

A

atomic mass units (u)

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12
Q

How much smaller is the volume of the nucleus than the volume of the atom?

A

10^15

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13
Q

Why is the mass of the atom approximately the same as the mass of the nucleus?

A

minuscule mass of electrons

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14
Q

What forces do protons within a nucleus experience?

A

large electrostatic repulsive forces

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15
Q

What force do all nucleons inside the nucleus experience?

A

strong nuclear force

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16
Q

When is nuclear force attractive?

A

up to 3fm

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17
Q

When is nuclear force repulsive?

A

below 0.5fm

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18
Q

What is the antiparticle of an electron?

A

positron

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19
Q

What is the antiparticle of a proton?

A

antiproton

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20
Q

What is the antiparticle of a neutron?

A

antineutron

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21
Q

What is the antiparticle of a neutrino?

A

antineutrino

22
Q

What are fundamental particles?

A

no internal structure so cannot be divided into smaller particles

23
Q

What are examples of fundamental particles?

A

electrons and quarks

24
Q

What are protons and neutrons not fundamental particles?

A

made up of quarks

25
Q

What are hadrons?

A

particles and antiparticles that are affected by strong nuclear force

26
Q

How do hadrons decay?

A

weak nuclear force

27
Q

What are the 4 hadrons?

A

protons, neutrons, baryons, mesons

28
Q

What are leptons?

A

particles and antiparticles that are not affected by strong nuclear force

29
Q

What are the 3 leptons?

A

electrons, neutrinos, muons

30
Q

What force do both hadrons and leptons experience?

A

electromagnetic force

31
Q

What are the 4 fundamental forces?

A

strong nuclear, electromagnetic, weak nuclear, gravitational

32
Q

What is any particle made up of quarks called?

A

hadron

33
Q

How many quarks does a standard particle of elementary charge require?

A

6

34
Q

What are the 6 quarks?

A

up, down, strange, anti-up, anti-down, anti-strange

35
Q

What is the quark make up of a proton?

A

U U D + e

36
Q

What is the quark make up of a neutron?

A

U D D

37
Q

Define radioactivity:

A

decay of an unstable nucleus

38
Q

Which types of nuclei decay by emitting beta radiation?

A

beta plus and beta minus

39
Q

What type of particles have negligible mass and no charge?

A

neutrinos

40
Q

What is the make up of beta minus decay?

A

Neutron > proton + electron + electron antineutrino

41
Q

What quark changes in beta minus decay?

A

down > up

42
Q

What is the make up of beta plus decay?

A

proton > neutron + positron + electron neutrino

43
Q

What quark changes in beta plus decay?

A

up > down

44
Q

What is the nature of alpha?

A

helium nucleus

45
Q

What is the nature of beta?

A

electron

46
Q

What is the nature of gamma?

A

electromagnetic radiation (wave)

47
Q

What is the range of alpha in air?

A

few cm

48
Q

What is the range of beta in air?

A

about 1m

49
Q

What is the range of gamma in air?

A

several km

50
Q

What is the penetration ability of alpha?

A

0.2mm paper

51
Q

What is the penetration ability of beta?

A

1-10 mm of aluminium

52
Q

What is the penetration ability of gamma?

A

several m concrete