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2 Alpha Beta Gamma

The document provides an overview of ionising radiation, including types such as alpha, beta, and gamma particles, and their properties. It explains the spontaneous and random nature of radioactive decay, emphasizing that decay cannot be influenced by environmental factors. Additionally, it discusses the mechanisms of beta decay and the emission of neutrinos, along with the use of Geiger-Muller tubes for measuring radiation counts.

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9 views26 pages

2 Alpha Beta Gamma

The document provides an overview of ionising radiation, including types such as alpha, beta, and gamma particles, and their properties. It explains the spontaneous and random nature of radioactive decay, emphasizing that decay cannot be influenced by environmental factors. Additionally, it discusses the mechanisms of beta decay and the emission of neutrinos, along with the use of Geiger-Muller tubes for measuring radiation counts.

Uploaded by

hottchickk001
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Ionising Radiation

Ionising
Radiation
Particles and electromagnetic radiation
released by the decay of unstable
atoms
Ionising Radiation
 Alpha
particles
 Beta particles
 Neutrons
 Gamma rays
 X rays
Ionising Radiation
 Alpha
particles Radionuclides
 Beta particles
 Neutrons
 Gamma rays
 X rays
Ionising Radiation
 Alpha
particles
 Beta particles
Neutrons
 Gamma

Elecromagnetic
rays radiation
 X rays
Properties of ionising radiation
• Radiation affects the matter it passes through by causing
ionisation. Both α- and β-particles are fast-moving charged
particles, and if they collide with or pass close to atoms,
they may knock or drag electrons away from the atoms.
The resulting atoms are said to be ionised, and the process
is called ionisation. In the process, the radiation loses
some of its kinetic energy. After many ionisations, the
radiation loses all of its energy and no longer has any
ionising effect.
•If these particles hit other atoms, they can knock out
electrons, ionising the atom
•This can cause chemical changes in materials and can damage or kill
living cells

When radiation passes close to atoms, it can knock out


electrons, ionising the atom
Alpha, Beta & Gamma
Particles
• show an understanding of the spontaneous and random nature of
nuclear decay;
• show an understanding of the nature and properties of α-, β- and γ-
radiations;
• infer the random nature of radioactive decay from the fluctuations
in count rate;
• Describe beta-minus and beta-plus decays using simple quark
models
The Random Nature of Radioactive Decay

• Radioactive decay is defined as:


The spontaneous disintegration of a nucleus to form
a more stable nucleus, resulting in the emission of an
alpha, beta or gamma particle
• The random nature of radioactive decay can be
demonstrated by observing the count rate of a Geiger-
Muller (GM) tube
• When a GM tube is placed near a radioactive source, the counts
are found to be irregular and cannot be predicted
• Each count represents a decay of an unstable nucleus
• These fluctuations in count rate on the GM tube provide
evidence for the randomness of radioactive decay
Characteristics of Radioactive Decay
• Radioactive decay is both spontaneous and random
• A spontaneous process is defined as:
A process which cannot be influenced by environmental factors
• This means radioactive decay cannot be affected by environmental factors such
as:
• Temperature
• Pressure
• Chemical conditions

•A random process is defined as:


A process in which the exact time of decay of a nucleus cannot be
predicted
•Instead, the nucleus has a constant probability, ie. the same chance, of
decaying in a given time
•Therefore, with large numbers of nuclei it is possible to statistically predict the
behaviour of the entire group
Exam Tip

Make sure you can define what constitutes a radioactive


decay, a random process and a spontaneous decay –
these are all very common exam questions!
Alpha, Beta & Gamma Particles

Handout K 1

Time 3 min
Alpha, Beta & Gamma Particles
•Some elements have nuclei that are unstable
• This tends to be when the number of nucleons does not balance
•In order to become more stable, they emit particles and/or
electromagnetic radiation
• These nuclei are said to be radioactive
•There are three different types of radioactive emission:
•Alpha (α) particles are high energy particles made up of 2 protons
and 2 neutrons (the same as a helium nucleus)
•They are usually emitted from nuclei that are too large
Beta
Decay and
its Nuclear
Equations
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?
v=GImej8WpwjU&t=29s
β - & β + decay
• The strong interaction acts between hadrons but not between
leptons and so some particle behaviour cannot be explained in terms
of the strong interaction.
• The WEAK INTERACTION acts on both hadrons and leptons.
• The WEAK INTERACTION between quarks is responsible for BETA
(β) DECAY and many unstable particles, such as a free neutron, decay
as a result of the weak interaction.
There are two types of BETA (β) DECAY :
• β--decay in which electrons are emitted.
• β+-decay in which positrons (electron antiparticles) are emitted.
• Both types of β-decay are caused by a weak interaction between the
quarks of the neutrons and protons involved.
β- - decay
• Electrons (β-, e-) can be emitted during the radioactive decay of an
unstable nucleus.

In this decay, a neutron in the carbon-


14 nucleus changes into a proton plus
an electron and an electron
antineutrino, both of which are
emitted.

Beta minus decay is when a down quark turns into an up quark


β+ decay
• Positrons (β+, e+) can be emitted during the radioactive decay of an unstable nucleus.

In this decay, a proton in the


polonium-15 nucleus changes into
a neutron plus a positron and an
electron neutrino, both of which
are emitted.

Beta plus decay is when an up quark turns into a down quark


•Beta (β−) particles are high energy electrons emitted from the
nucleus
•Beta (β+) particles are high energy positrons (antimatter of
electrons) also emitted from the nucleus
• β− particles are emitted by nuclei that have too many neutrons
• β+ particles are emitted by nuclei that have too many protons

•Gamma (γ) rays are high energy electromagnetic waves


•They are emitted by nuclei that need to lose some energy
•The properties of the different types of radiation are summarised in the
table below

•u is the atomic mass unit (see “Atomic Mass Unit (u)”)


•e is the charge of the electron: 1.60 × 10-19 C
•c is the speed of light: 3 × 108 m s-1
• Handout K2-K4

• Time 10 min
Neutrino Emission
•An electron neutrino is a type of subatomic particle with no charge
and negligible mass which is also emitted from the nucleus
•The anti-neutrino is the antiparticle of a neutrino
• Electron anti-neutrinos are produced during β– decay
• Electron neutrinos are produced during β+ decay

Exam Tip
One way to remember which
particle decays into which
depends on the type of beta
emission, think of beta ‘plus’ as
the ‘proton’ that turns into the
neutron (plus an electron
neutrino)
• A G-M tube connected to a ratemeter is used in the experiments which follow.
It must be remembered that the count recorded by the G-M tube will be caused
by the radiation from the source plus that due to background radiation. With
no source present, The background radiation count is taken several times over a
1 minute period and the average background count rate is calculated.
The actual or corrected count rate is then given by :
corrected count rate = count rate - background
radiation
from source count rate
feedback

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