Radiation Modes Of Decay Flashcards
What is Radioactive Decay?
The spontaneous nuclear transformation in an unstable nucleus than result in the formation of a new atom.
What is a Curie
Activity of quantity of radioactive material in which 3.7x10^10 in one second.
What is a Becquerel?
One disintegration per second
Physical half life
the amount of time to decrease to one half of it’s initial value due to radioactive decay.
Biological half life
The time required for the body to eliminate by natural biological means
What is an effective half life?
The amount of time required for the body to remove an radioactive material by 50%, it is the combined action of radioactive decay and biological elimination
What is Alpha Decay?
- Alpha particle is emitted from the nucleus, daughter mat be left in an excited state, and de-excites by emitting a gamma.
- Occurs when there are too many nucleons in the nucleus.
What is Beta minus decay?
Neturon converts into a proton, neutron, and antineutrino. The beta and antineutrino are emitted from the nucleus. Daughter is an excited state and de-excites by emitting a gamma.
It is caused when the neutron to proton ratio is too high.
What is Beta plus decay?
Proton is converted into a neutron, positron, and a neutrino. The positron and neutrino are emitted from the nucleus. The Daughter may be left in an excited state and de-excite emitting a gamma.
Occurs when neutron to proton ratio is too low.
What is Gamma Decay?
Occurs when the daughter nucleus is left in an excited state. The excited nucleus converts this energy by emitting a gamma.
* This gamma can either be immediately or delayed (meta stable)
What is the difference in gamma decay and metastable decay?
Metastable decay occurs a micro second after the initial decay (gamma decay).
