Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- List of tables
- Foreword
- Preface
- Chapter 1 Atoms, nuclides and radionuclides
- Chapter 2 Units and standards for radioactivity and radiation dosimetry and rules for radiation protection
- Chapter 3 Properties of radiations emitted from radionuclides
- Chapter 4 Nuclear radiations from a user's perspective
- Chapter 5 Ionising radiation detectors
- Chapter 6 Radioactivity and countrate measurements and the presentation of results
- Chapter 7 Industrial applications of radioisotopes and radiation
- Chapter 8 Application of tracer technology to industry and the environment
- Chapter 9 Radionuclides to protect the environment
- Appendices
- References
- Index
Chapter 3 - Properties of radiations emitted from radionuclides
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 November 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- List of tables
- Foreword
- Preface
- Chapter 1 Atoms, nuclides and radionuclides
- Chapter 2 Units and standards for radioactivity and radiation dosimetry and rules for radiation protection
- Chapter 3 Properties of radiations emitted from radionuclides
- Chapter 4 Nuclear radiations from a user's perspective
- Chapter 5 Ionising radiation detectors
- Chapter 6 Radioactivity and countrate measurements and the presentation of results
- Chapter 7 Industrial applications of radioisotopes and radiation
- Chapter 8 Application of tracer technology to industry and the environment
- Chapter 9 Radionuclides to protect the environment
- Appendices
- References
- Index
Summary
Tools for applications
This chapter will introduce radionuclides and the emitted radiations as tools for applications. We shall begin with the well known α, β and γ radiations followed by a few characteristics of extranuclear electrons and X rays. Additional comments about neutrons (see Section 1.3.6), will follow in Section 5.4.4.
Properties of alpha particles
The nature and origin of alpha particles
Alpha particles are here called primary radiations because their emission is the first evidence of nuclear disintegrations which turn parent atoms into daughter atoms belonging to a different chemical element. Alpha particles are emitted either as a single branch, i.e. all with the same energy, or as several branches each with its own energy. A typical case is the α particle decay of americium-241. Close to 13% of the decays occur at an α particle energy of 5.44 MeV and close to 85% at 5.48 MeV, leaving three minor branches each with its own energy, overall exactly one α particle emitted per decay.
Properties of a particles were summarised in Table 1.2. With Z = 2 and A=4, α particles are physically identical to the nuclei of helium atoms. As calculated by Rutherford (Section 1.2) the diameter of α particles is about 10−14 m, or some 104 times smaller than the 10−10 m atomic diameters.
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- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2001
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