Particles and Radiation Flashcards
Isotope
Atoms with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons
Carbon dating
Calculating the percentage of of carbon-14 in an object and using the half life to calculate an approximate age
Strong Nuclear Force
- Keeps nuceli stable by counteracting the electrostatic force of repulsion between protons.
- Only acts on nucleons
SNF Range
Attractive up to 3fm
Repulstive below 0.5fm
Unstable Nuclei
- Nuclei with too many protons or neutrons or both.
- SNF not strong enough to keep them stable so they will decay
Alpha Decay
- Only occurs in large nuclei with too many neutrons and protons
- Releases a helium nucleus (2 proton, 2 neutron)
Beta Minus Decay
- Occurs in nuclei that are neutron rich
- Proton number increases by 1
- Neutron decays into a proton
- Electron is released (not from a shell)
- Electron neutrino is released
Discovery of Neutrinos
Energy levels were not the same after a beta minus decay, energy was not conserved. Lead to the hypothesis of neutrinos
Particles and Antiparticles have the same…
Same rest energy and mass, everything is opposite sign
Annihilation
- When a particle and its antiparticle collide
- Their masses are converted into energy
- This energy and kinetic energy release photons in opposite directions to conserve momentum
PET scanner
Positrons are introduced into the patient and then they annihilate with electrons emitting gamma photons which are easily detected
Pair Production
- Photon is converted into equal amount of matter and antimatter
- Only occur when photon has a greater energy than the 2 particles
Exchange Particle
Particle that carry energy and momentum between particles experiencing a force
Strong Force: Exchange Particle and Range
Gluon
3 x10 ^-15
Weak Force: Exchange Particle and Range
W boson (+ or -)
10^-18
Electromagnetic Force: Exchange Particle and Range
Virtual Photon
Infinite Range
Leptons
- Do not experience strong nuclear force
- Fundamental (cant be broken down)
electron, positron, electron neutrino, muon neutrino
Hadrons
- Formed of quarks
- Experience SNF
- Baryons or Mesons
Baryons
- Hadron
- Formed of 3 quarks
proton, neutron
Mesons
- Hadrons
- 1 quark, 1 antiquark
Pion, Kaon
Strange Particles
Particles produced by SNF but decay by the WNF
Kaons decay into pions
Quark Combination: Proton
uud
Quark Combination: Neutron
ddu
Quark Combination: pion 0
uu* or dd*
Quark Combination: pion +
ud*
Quark Combination: pion -
du*
Quark Combination: Kaon 0
ds*
Quark Combination: Kaon +
us*
Quark Combination: Kaon -
su*
Photoelectric effect
Photoelectrons are emitted from the surface of a metal after light above the threshold frequency is shone on it
Photon Model of Light
- EM waves travel in packets called photons
- each electron absorbs 1 photon
- if intensity is increased and frequency is above threshold frequency, more PE are emitted
Work function
The minimum enery required for electrons to be enitted from the surface of a metal
Stopping Potential
- The potential difference needed to be applied across the metal to stop the photoelectrons with max KE.
- KEmax = e V
Excitation
- Electrons gain energy from collisions with free electrons causing then to move up an energy level
- It will quickly return to original energy level (de-excite to ground state) and release the energy it gained in the form of a photon
(me when physics is over)
Ionisation
- When an electron gains enough energy to be removed from an atom entirely
- Occurs when energy of free electron > ionisation energy
Flurescent Tubes
- Voltage is applied a tube filled with murcury vapour
- Accelerates free electrons in the tube which collide with murcury atoms making them ionised
- More free electrons are released
- The excited electrons dexcite and release photons in the UV range
- The flurescent coating on the inside of the tube absorb the UV and excites the electrons in the coating
- then when they de-excite they release photons of visible light
Electron Volt (1eV)
Energy gained by one electron when passing through a potential difference of 1V
Wave Particle Duality
- Light has both wave and particle properties
- Light acts as a wave: diffraction and interference
- Light acts as a particle: photoelectric effect
De Brogile Theory
If light can have particle properties then particles can have wave like properties.