FOUNDATION PHYSICS II

PHY 098

CHAPTER 29:
NUCLEAR PHYSICS

MAS FIZA MUSTAFA

mfiza@[Link]
03-8924 5536
013-7133158
Bangunan Pentadbiran, Aras 8, Bilik C04/0
Units of Chapter 29

- 29.1 Some Properties of Nuclei

- 29.2 Binding Energy
- 29.3 Radioactivity
- 29.4 The Decay Processes
- 30.1 Nuclear Fission
- 30.2 Nuclear Fusion
 Lesson Outcome
At the end of the class, student should be able to
• Define Proton, Neutron, Nucleons, atomic Number, mass number and atomic mass
unit
• Explain properties of alpha, beta and gamma radiation.
• Define Radioactivity
• Explain Alpha Decay, Beta Decay and Gamma Decay

• state the definition of binding energy

• calculate the binding energy
• explain the concept of nuclear fission and
• nuclear fusion
• explain the practical applications of nuclear
• physics
 29.1 Some Properties of Nuclei

Nucleus contain positively charged protons and neutral neutrons.

Nucleus are characterized by the number of protons and neutrons
they contain.
The notation for a particular nucleus of element X is written:

Examples:

Masses and charges of atomic particles:

The atomic mass unit, u, is defined so that the mass of is
exactly 12 u.

This mass may also be written in terms of MeV/c2, using E =

mc2:

Careful measurements have related the size of the nucleus to its

atomic number:

By contrast, the radius of an atom is on the order of 10-10 m.

This means that the density of the nucleus is extremely high.
Exercise:
Find the radius of nucleus of
a) (1.9 x 10-15 m)

b) (7.4 x 10-15 m)
If the nucleus contains only positive charges, why doesn’t it fly apart
due to their mutual repulsion?
There is another force acting, called the strong nuclear force, which
keeps it together. Its properties:
• The strong force is short range, acting only to distances of a couple
fermis.
• The strong force is attractive and acts with nearly equal strength
between protons and protons, protons and neutrons, and neutrons
and neutrons.
Since the strong nuclear force is
short range, atoms with more
protons must have
proportionally more neutrons
in order to remain stable.
 29.3 Radioactivity

Unstable nucleus can either decay into a stable nucleus or can

return to the ground state.

Various emissions that result are known as radioactivity:

1. Alpha particles, which consist of two neutrons and two
protons.
2. Electrons and positrons, also called (for historical reasons) beta
rays. Positrons have the same mass as electrons but are
positively charged.
3. Gamma rays, which are high-energy photons.
!!Radioactivity was the result of the
decay or disintegration of unstable
nuclei
 A radioactive beam is directed into a region with a magnetic field.
 The gamma particles carry no charge and thus are not deflected.
 The alpha particles are deflected upward.
 The negative beta particles (electrons) are deflected downward.
◦ Positrons would be deflected upward.
 Alpha particles
◦ Barely penetrate a piece of paper
 Beta particles
◦ Can penetrate a few mm of aluminum
 Gamma rays
◦ Can penetrate several cm of lead
 The number of particles that decay in a given time is
proportional to the total number of particles in a
radioactive sample.
◦ ΔN = -λ N Δt Negative sign signifies that N decreases with time
 λ is called the decay constant and determines the rate at which the
material will decay.
 The decay rate or activity, R, of a sample is defined as
the number of decays per second.
 The decay curve follows the
equation
◦ N = No e- λt
 The half-life is also a useful
parameter.
◦ The half-life is defined as the
time it takes for half of any
given number of radioactive
nuclei to decay.
 During one half-life, half of a given number of
nuclei will decay.
 During a second half-life, half of the remaining
number of nuclei will decay.
◦ This would be three-quarters of the original
number of nuclei.
 The unit of activity, R, is the Curie, Ci
◦ 1 Ci = 3.7 x 1010 decays/second
 The SI unit of activity is the Becquerel, Bq
◦ 1 Bq = 1 decay / second
 Therefore, 1 Ci = 3.7 x 1010 Bq
 The most commonly used units of activity are the
mCi and the µCi
29.2 Binding Energy

 An alpha particle consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons.

 Does it follow that the mass of an alpha particle is twice the mass of a
proton + twice the mass of a neutron? No.
 The mass of any stable nucleus is less than the sum of the masses of
the protons and neutrons it contains. The reduction in mass
corresponds to a reduction in its energy according to the relation, E =
mc2
 This reduction in energy is called the binding energy of the nucleus.
The binding energy indicates how firmly a given nucleus is held
together.
The curve of binding energy is the binding energy per nucleon:
Exercise:
Find the average binding energy per nucleon of

a)
Atomic mass
Element
b)
(u)
Neutron (n) 1.008 665
Hydrogen (H) 1.007 825

Magnesium 24 (Mg) 23.985 042

Rubidium (Rb) 84.911 789

 Alpha Decay
When a nucleus decays by emitting an alpha particle, it loses two
protons and two neutrons, Symbolically:

Here, X is the parent nucleus and Y is

the daughter.
Atomic mass unit
 Beta Decay

A nucleus that decays via beta decay emits an electron and

positron.

There is a third particle emitted, which has no electric charge and

little, called the neutrino.
 The following nuclei are observed to decay by emitting a β-
particle. Write out the decay process for each of these nuclei, and
determine the energy released in each reaction.

35
16 S  17
35
Cl  e –  
212
82 Pb  212
83 Bi  e –  

mi  34.969033 u mi  211.99188 u
mf  34.968853 u mf  211.991272 u
m  34.968853 u  34.969033 u   0.000180 u m  211.991272 u  211.99188 u   0.00061 u

 931.5 MeV/c 2  2  931.5 MeV/c 2  2

E  m c  0.000180 u  E  m c 2  0.00061 u   c  0.57 MeV
 c  0.168 MeV
2

 1u   1u 
 Gamma Decay

A gamma ray is emitted when an excited nucleus returns to its

ground state. Nuclei may become excited through alpha or beta
decay.

The asterisk indicates the excited nucleus.

Heavy nuclei decaying via alpha emission may very well decay to
a daughter nucleus which is also unstable, and so on. The decays
will continue until a stable nucleus is reached.
This is a diagram of the series of alpha and beta decays in the decay
chain.
 30.1 Nuclear Fission

 Nuclear fission occurs when a

heavy nucleus splits into two
lighter ones, especially after
capturing a neutron.
 The lighter nuclei do not need
so many neutrons, so there are
typically extra neutrons emitted
from the reaction.
This emission of multiple neutrons can lead to a chain reaction,
either controlled or uncontrolled.
30.2 Nuclear Fusion

• When two light nuclei combine to form a more massive

[Link] reaction is called nuclear fusion.
• The larger nucleus formed by fusion has less mass than
the sum of the masses of the original light nuclei.

• The mass difference appears as energy given off by the

reaction.
The nuclear fusion process in the Sun begins with two protons fusing to
form deuterium, and then fusing with a third proton to form helium-3.

After that, a helium-4 nucleus is formed in one of the following two ways:

Considerable energy is emitted in this interaction.

Practical Applications of Nuclear Physics

There are a number of medical applications for radioactivity :

• Radioactive tracers are useful in diagnoses
• PET scans (positron-emission tomography) are useful in
looking at the brain, including normal activity, abnormalities, and
tumors
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is particularly good at
imaging soft tissue
 Summary

• Nuclei are composed of protons and neutrons (nucleons).

• Number of protons in a nucleus (atomic number): Z
• Number of neutrons in a nucleus: N
• Mass number A = N + Z
• Designation:
• Isotopes: same atomic number, different N
• Mass of is exactly 12 u.
•

• Nuclear radius:
• Nuclear density is approximately constant
• Strong nuclear force holds nuclei together
• Radioactivity is the emission from the decay of an unstable or excited nucleus
• An alpha particle (helium nucleus) is two protons and two
neutrons.
• Alpha decay:
• Beta decay:
• Gamma decay occurs when an excited nucleus decays to its
ground state.
• Activity is the number of decays per second:
• The binding energy of a nucleus is the energy that must be
supplied to separate it into its component nucleons.
• Nuclear fission is the splitting of a heavier nucleus into two or
more lighter ones, plus extra neutrons.
• These extra neutrons can cause a chain reaction.
• Nuclear fusion occurs when two light nuclei join to make a single
heavier one.
• There are several ways of measuring radiation dose.
• Ionization charge:
• Energy deposit:
• Relative biological effectiveness: