‘ADAMIEECOACHING.BLOGSPOT.COM > NUCLEAR RADIATIONS Chapter - 20 NUCLEAR RADIATIONS: ‘The Spontaneous disintegration of the nuclear of certain elements, like radium, uranium, ete. is called radioactivity. Soon after the discovery of radioactivity, experiments have revealed that radioactive radiation consist of charged particles named as Alpha(a) and Beta (8) particlesand pheton of Energy are y-rays. ALPHA-PARTICLES («t): They are found to be helium nuclear (2He4) with doUble positive charge (He). Their emission from a nucleus decreases proton No. (2) by 2” and mass numiber{A) to 4. Bo ae He PROPERTIES: The measurement of e/m shows that they are doubly positive charged with mass of units. These radiations are deflected by electri¢ @nd injected fields, showing that they are positively charged particles. They affect photographic plate. Their speed in one-tenth of speedioflight(C). Their perpetration power in low. They, are stopped by few centimeter of air. Their ionization power very‘high\(10,000 times greater than y-rays) vii. They produce Fluorescence. viii, They are scattered when\pass through thin sheets. BETA-PARTICLES (3); They are found to be fast-moving electrons, which are of nuclear origin. The charge on these electrons either positive or negative. Electron with positive charge called positron (B*) andyelectron ‘with -ve charge called Beta (f~) emission of Beta particles from a nucleus causes One of the neutrons to become proton to neutron. For BYE XA 1 + Bt (Pn + Bt) Forge **: XO Yt B (nr? 9 P+ BY PROPERTIES: iY They are deflected by electric and magnetic fields, showing that have charge equal to charge of electron but with different polarities positive or negative. The measurement of elm shows that there mass equal to the mass of electron. They effect photographic plate more strongly the ct-particle. Their velocity is one-fifth of the speed of light. The ionization power in lower than a-particle. Their penetration power is more than a-particle. They reduce fluorescence. They are scattered when pass through matter.‘ADAMIEECOACHING.BLOGSPOT.COM GAMMA RAYS (y): These radiations are electromagnetic photons (waves) of very high frequency. This emission does not alter proton number (z) on mass number (A). But merely lowers the energy of the excited nucleus. x8 ——s x" + y-rays PROPERTIES: They are not deflected by electric or magnetic fields, showing that they ate not charged particles. They affect photographic plate more intensely than -particle. They travel with the speed of light. The ionization power is less than p-particle. Their perefration power is extremely high (about 10,000 times particle). They are deflected by crystals. They are produce fluorescence. They cause damage to human cells. DETERCTORS: The device used to detect nuclear Radiations are calledyradiation detectors”. WILSON CLOUD CHAMBER: Wilson cloud chamber is a device for making visible thé path of ionizing particle. This devise was devised in 1895 by the British Physicist (TéR“Wilision). | 1 | CONSTRUCTION: Wilson Glod chamber consist of a closed cylindrical chamber with transparent glass top and a Movable piston at the bottom as shown in the figure. On the sides near the top, the cylinder is provided with a glass window for illuminating light and an inlet for the ionizing particles (radiations). The piston can be moved up or down by a lever attached to it (not shown in the figure). PRINCIPLE OF WORKING: ‘The Wilson chamber contains super cooled vapours in a dust-free atmosphere. When radioactive radiations pass through the chamber, ions are formed, which serve as nucleation centers. The supersaturated vapour get condensed on them. So the path shows up a as a fog trail. In this way the instrument is used to ussualize the track of charged particles.‘ADAMIEECOACHING,BLOGSPOT.cOM ‘WORKING: The chamber is filled with a mixture of alcohol & water. The air chamber is formed between the moveable piston and glass top contains saturated vapour. A particle source is mounted in the chamber at the inlet and radiation skirts to enter. (An intense became of light is projected into the chamber through window to illuminate the fog track and a photographic camera is mounted above the glass top of the chamber. With the above pre-setting of the apparatus, the piston is pulled down suddenly with the help of lever. The saturated vapours cool down below the down point into supersaturated vapours. If an ionizing particle or radiation passes into the chamber at the same time, the,gas molecules all along its path ionize into a trail behind it. The supersaturated vapours immediately'condense round that ions farming tiny droplets of fog which becomes visible by the reflection’of light from them. The track of the particle shows as a bright line which can be photographed at the proper instant. Feltringissosked with sleohol toppoete insulator foam ‘An a-particle in highly ionizing ‘The’ins produced are so numerous that its track is a thick and continuous line. The f-particle is-much ion ionizing. Its track is therefore, a thin and broken line. Gamma rays are phot6ns’emitted in a widening cone of some angle. They produce ionization by photoelectric effect, distributed over a wide space. The overall effect of y-rays is that the whole region exposed to)radiations shows scattered dots and small lines rather like a fog and no well- defined line track GEM:COUNTER: G.M. Counter is a portable device which is widely used for detection of nuclear - radiation. It was distovered by Gieger & Muller. CONSTRUCTION: G.M. tube consist of a hollow metal cylinder one end of which is closed by an insulating cap. At the centre of the cap is fixed a stuff straight wire along the axis of the cylinder. A thin mass or lass disc closes the other end which also serves as the entrance window for Nuclear Radiation. ‘The tube usually contains a special mixture (air, argon, alcohol, etc.) at a low pressure of 50 to 100 millimeter of mercury. A potential difference of the order of one to three thousand volts is‘ADAMIEECOACHING.BLOGSPOT.COM applied between the metal cylinder arid a wire through a suitable series resistance (R) (about 10° ohms). WORKING: When a ionizing particle (a or f) enters the tube through the window, it ionizes the gaseous mixture. A few electrons and ions are produced. Those positive and negative ions travel through tube toward the electrodes. The accelerated ions suffer collisions with the gas molecules, They produce further ionization. 1D p.d. in above the break down potential, the number oftions\are multiplied. The ions are accelerated towards their respective electrodes. As a result) current flows between the wire and the cylinder and through the Resistor ‘R’, producing apid. across ‘R’. ‘The ends of R are connected to a load speaker DR Electronic Counter. SOLID STATE DETECTORS: It is a device that makes use of solid state’ semi-conductor diode to detect nuclear particles. When an energetic PN - functions @jreverse current past passes through the function, CONSTRUCTION: Asolid state detector consist.of 8 semi-conductor diode (combination of p and N-type material). ‘The p-type material.is connected to -ve terminal of the battery and N-type with +ve terminal of the battery to make it reverse biased. A battery of low voltage is used for this purpose. A high Resistance (R)is, connected in series with diode and the battery to amplifies small current and a speaker or.counteris used to register particles. WORKING? When |PN junction is revered biased, the thickness of the depletion layer widen (increases) when an. ionizing particle falls on the N-type side, it is absorbed in the depletion region. Thus more electron-hole pairs are created. These charges caries more under the influence of biasing potential. The electrons more towards the positive side of the battery holes are swept towards the negative side of the battery. The arrival of there charges at the two layers produce a potential drop across the junction. This result in a current pulse of small magnitude. The current pulse is fed to an amplifier. The amplified pulse is applied to a counter to register het particle. For More Notes, Mcas, ONLINE QUIZZES ADAMJEECOACHING.BLOGSPOT.COM