Particles & radiation Flashcards
What is the specific charge of a particle?
charge-mass ratio
What are isotopes?
Atoms with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons.
What is the strong nuclear force?
keeps the nuclei stable by counteracting the electrostatic force of repulsion between protons in the nucleus.
What is the range of strong nuclear force?
-attractive up to 3fm
-repulsive below 0.5 fm
What happens to the numbers in alpha decay?
-proton number decreases by 2
-nucleon number decreases by 4
What is beta-minus decay?
Beta minus decay occurs in nuclei which are neutron-rich.
What happens to the numbers in beta minus decay?
-proton number increases by 1
-nucleon number stays the same.
What are photons?
EM radiation that travels in packets which transfer energy and have no mass.
What is the equation of the energy of a photon?
E=hf
What is Planck’s constant (h)?
6.63^10^-34
What is annihilation?
It is where a particle and its corresponding anti-particle collide and their masses are converted into energy.
-Energy (including KE of particles) is released in the form of two photons which travel in opposite directions.
Why do the photons travel in opposite directions in annihilation?
To conserve momentum?
Give one example of annihilation as an application?
PET scanner- introduce positron emitting radioisotope into patient where positrons are released and annihilate with electrons that are already in the patient, which emit gamma photons which can easily be detected.
What is pair production?
Where a photon is converted into matter and its corresponding anti-matter
What is the condition that pair production must occur in?
Energy of photon>total rest energy of both particles
What happens to the excess energy from pair production?
Any excess energy is converted into kinetic energy of the particles.
What force is responsible for beta plus decay?
Weak force
What force is responsible for beta minus decay?
Weak force
What is the general equation for beta-minus decay?
n–p+beta minus particle+anti-neutrino
What is the general equation for beta-plus decay?
p–n+beta plus particle+neutrino
What do unstable particles do?
They emit a particle and break down into a new nucleus and the nucleus transitions to a lower energy state to become more stable
What are the 4 fundamental forces?
gravity, electromagnetic, strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force
What are exchange particles?
They carry energy and momentum between particles
What is the exchange particle for a SNF?
gluon
What is the range of SNF?
3^10^-15m
What does SNF act on?
Hadrons
What is the exchange particle for weak force?
W boson (+/-)
What is the range of the weak force?
10^-18m