Particle Physics Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the two groups of fundamental particles?

A

Hardons and leptons

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2
Q

What are the two sub groups within hadrons?

A

Baryons and mesons

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3
Q

What is a baryon made of?

A

Its made up of three quarks

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4
Q

What are two common baryons?

A

Protons and neutrons

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5
Q

What is a proton made up of?

A

UUD quarks

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6
Q

What is a neutron made up of?

A

DDU quarks

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7
Q

What is a meson made up of?

A

A quark and an antiquark

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8
Q

What are two common mesons?

A

Pions and Kaons

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9
Q

What is special about Kaons?

A

They always have a strange quark

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10
Q

What are the three groups found in Leptons?

A

Electrons, Muons and Taus

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11
Q

Which is the massive lepton particle?

A

Tau

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12
Q

Which is the lepton particle of least mass?

A

Electron

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13
Q

What is alpha radiation made up of?

A

2 neutrons and 2 protons

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14
Q

What is an alpha particle also?

A

A helium nucleus

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15
Q

What sort of elements release alpha particles?

A

Heavy elements

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16
Q

What stops an alpha particle?

A

Paper

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17
Q

How far do alpha particles travel?

A

A few cm’s

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18
Q

How ionising are alpha particles?

A

Very strongly

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19
Q

What is a beta particle?

A

An electron

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20
Q

How is a beta particle released?

A

When a neutron becomes a proton

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21
Q

How far can beta particles travel?

A

A few metres

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22
Q

What stops beta particles?

A

Aluminium

23
Q

How ionising are beta particles?

A

Weakly

24
Q

What is beta plus particles?

A

A positron

25
Q

How are beta plus particles released?

A

When a proton decays to a neutron and a positron

26
Q

How far can a beta plus particle travel?

A

Nowhere as it is antimatter so it annihilates

27
Q

What is gamma radiation?

A

A form of electromagnetic wave

28
Q

How ionising is gamma radiation?

A

Very weak

29
Q

What is gamma radiation stopped by?

A

stopped by thick concrete and lead

30
Q

How far can gamma radiation travel?

A

Its range is virtually unlimited

31
Q

What is gamma radiation?

A

excess energy

32
Q

What is binding energy?

A

The energy required to break the potential energy bonds between particles in a nucleus

33
Q

How do you work out the binding energy?

A

Binding energy = mass defect x c^2

34
Q

What is plasma?

A

A gas with no electrons

35
Q

How does nuclear fission occur?

A
  1. When a neutron is fired at a large element nucleus
  2. Nucleus oscillates
  3. Then nucleus breaks into two new nuclei and two more neutrons are released
36
Q

Under what conditions does nuclear fission happen?

A

Extremely high temperature and extremely high pressures

37
Q

What is a moderator used for in nuclear fission?

A

Used to get the right speeds for thermal absorption

38
Q

What are the conservation rules for fundamental particles?

A
  1. Mass is conserved
  2. Electric charge is conserved
  3. Baryon number is conserved
  4. Lepton number is conserved
  5. Strangeness can be conserved
39
Q

What is the formula for rest energy?

A

E=mc^2

40
Q

What is pair production?

A

The formation of a positron and an electron when a gamma wave (EM pulse) goes near a nucleus

41
Q

What is the equation for pair production?

A

E=hf

42
Q

What is annihilation?

A

When an electron and positron collide producing two gamma ray photons

43
Q

What is 1U?

A

1/12 the mass of Carbon 12

44
Q

What does 1eV equal?

A

1.6x10^-19

45
Q

What is the definition of 1 electron volt?

A

The amount of work done to move an electron through a potential difference of 1V

46
Q

What is the relative mass of an electron?

A

1/2000

47
Q

What is the relative mass of a proton?

A

1

48
Q

What is the relative mass of a neutron?

A

1

49
Q

Which number is the atomic number?

A

The number on the bottom that signifies the number of protons in the nucleus

50
Q

Which is the atomic mass?

A

The number on the top that signifies the number of protons and neutrons

51
Q

What is an isotope?

A

An element with the same number of protons but different neutrons

52
Q

What is an Ion?

A

A charged atom due to the loss of a proton or electron

53
Q

What is thermionic emission?

A

The emission of electrons due to the heating of a metal in a vacuum

54
Q

What is the equation for thermionic emission?

A
eV=1/2mv^2, 
e = electron charge
V = Voltage
m = mass of electron
v = velocity of electron