Particles & Radiation Flashcards
(34 cards)
What is meant by alpha decay?
The process of a nucleus emitting an alpha particle ( 2 protons & 2 neutrons ) to become more stable
Define annihilation
The process of a particle and its antiparticle colliding and being converted into energy. The energy is released in 2 photons to conserve momentum
What is meant by ‘baryon number’
A quantum number that is conserved in all particle interactions. Baryons have a baryon number of +1, and non-baryons have a baryon number of 0
What is beta-minus decay?
The process of a neutron inside a nucleus turning into a proton, and emitting a beta-minus particle (an electron) and an electron antineutrino
Beta-plus decay
The process of a proton inside a nucleus turning into a neutron, and emitting a beta-plus particle (a positron) and an electron neutrino
What is meant by electron diffraction? What is this evidence of?
The spreading of electrons as they pass through a gap similar to the magnitude of their de Broglie wavelength. It is evidence of the wave-like properties of particles
What is an Electron-volt (eV)?
The work done to accelerate an electron through a potential difference of 1V. 1 eV is equal to the charge of an electron (E=qv)
What are Energy levels ?
Defined and distinct energies at which electrons can exist in an atom. An electron cannot exist between energy levels
Define Excitation
The process of an electron taking in exactly the right quantity of energy to move to a higher energy level
What is meant by the ‘Ground state’?
The most stable energy level that an electron can exist in
What are Hadrons?
A class of subatomic particles that experiences the strong nuclear interaction.
Made up of quarks
What is a Baryon?
A class of hadron that is made up of 3 quarks, a proton is the only stable baryon
Ionisation
The process of an atom losing (or gaining) an orbital electron and becoming charged
What is an isotope?
Same number of of protons, but different number of neutrons
What is meant by Isotopic data?
Data from isotopes that can be used for a purpose, such as carbon dating
What is a kaon?
A type of meson that decays into a pion
What is meant by Lepton number?
A quantum number that is conserved in all particle interactions. Both electron lepton number and muon lepton number must be conserved
What are leptons?
A group of fundamental subatomic particles, consisting of electrons, muons, and neutrinos
What is a meson?
A class of Hadron made up of a quark and antiquark pair
What is a muon?
A type of lepton that decays into electrons (aka heavy electron)
What is a neutrino?
A subatomic particle with zero charge whose existence was hypothesised to maintain the conservation of energy in beta decay
What is a nucleon number?
The sum of the number of protons and neutrons in a given nucleus
What is a nucleon?
A proton or a neutron
What is pair production?
The process of a sufficiently high energy photon converting into a particle and its corresponding antiparticle. To conserve momentum this usually happens nears a nucleus
