Alpha Decay

This report was written

as a partial fulfillment of
the course requirements for
Nuclear Physics
By
Kushantha Withanage
Department of Physics
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

1. Introduction
In 1899, Earnest Rutherford who was working on radioactivity named this mysterious particles
emitted by radium alpha particles. In fact in1907, He showed that alpha particles were helium
nuclei. These alpha particles played a huge role when Geiger and Marsden who were working
under Rutherford carried out the famous gold foil experiment in 1908. Even though alpha particles
were used in experiments like this, people did not have a good understanding of alpha decay until
in 1928, George Gamow gave his explanation about alpha decay. He used the concept of tunneling
effect in quantum mechanics and WKB approximation to give first theoretical explanation for
alpha decay. Therefore, it can be said that the alpha decay is relatively simple process that can be
described by using introductory quantum mechanics. But George Gamows model for alpha decay
does not accurately predict the half-life (or the decay constant) and branching ratios. In this report,
George Gamows model and other effects that should be considered in order to explain and predict
half-lives and branching ratios more accurately are discussed.

2. Alpha Decay
Alpha particle which is the Helium Nucleus has two protons and two neutrons. Therefore in an
alpha decay, the parent nucleus loses its mass number (A) by four and atomic number (Z) by two.

4
2

(1)

Why Alpha Decay is possible?

Fission and Fusion are two different nuclear reactions that help unstable nuclei to go towards
stability. Fission is the phenomenon of splitting larger nuclei into two or more small ones. Fusion
is the phenomenon of combining of two or more smaller nuclei together. Since alpha decay occurs
in heavy nuclei (e.g:

226

Ra,

208

Po and

232

U), one can think that alpha decay is a type of fission

reaction. Figure 1.0 shows the graph of binding energy per nucleon Vs Mass Number (A).The
stability of a nucleus can be determined by the binding energy of the nucleus. Since the binding
energy is the energy that was released when the nucleus is formed out of neutrons and protons, the
most stable nucleus has a higher binding energy per nucleon.

(() + () ( )) 2
=

(2)

Equation (2) is the formula for binding energy per nucleon.

Figure 1.0 Binding Energy per Nucleon

Therefore, the heavy nuclei go through fission and become stable. Some of those nuclei emit alpha
particles and go towards stability.
Emitted Particle

Energy Releases

Emitted Particle

Energy Released

(MeV)
n

(MeV)

-7.26

He

+5.41

-6.12

He

-2.59

-10.70

He

-6.19

-10.24

Li

-3.79

He

-9.92

Li

-1.94

Table 1.0 Q value for Various Decay Modes of 232U

Table 1.0 shows the energies released (Q value) in various decay modes of 232U. Even though 232U
nucleus could go towards stability by any of these decay modes, the only positive Q value in the
list is for alpha decay. This indicates that the alpha particle is also a stable particles. That is why
Q value for this is positive. That is why alpha decay spontaneously occur in heavy nuclei. Q value
for an alpha decay is given by equation (3) below.
4
2
= (( ) ( 4
2) ( 2))

(3)

George Gamows Model for Alpha Decay

George Gamow approximates the potential inside the
nucleus for an unbound alpha Particle as a square
B

potential. Since alpha particle has a positive charge of

2e, the potential outside the nucleus is just the

coulomb potential due to the positively charged

R1

daughter nucleus. This potential acts as a barrier for

the alpha particle inside the nucleus. From the
knowledge of quantum mechanical tunneling effect,

-Vo

one can write the transition coefficient for a barrier of

Figure 2.0 Potential for an Alpha
Particle

V(r) with a thickness of r as,

1

2[2(())]2

(4)

Therefore, the total transmission coefficient,

1/2

2[2(())]

(5)

From WKB approximation, the summation in the exponent can be evaluated as,

1 1
= (2( ())1/2

(6)

Therefore, the total transmission coefficient can be written as,

(7)

= 2
Here G (Gamow factor) can be evaluated as,

2 2(2) 2
2

(arccos(

(1

))

(8)

Since the decay constant is the probability of occurring an alpha emission per unit time, it can be
written as the product of transmission coefficient and the frequency that the alpha particle comes
to the vicinity of the surface of the nucleus.

(9)

The frequency f should be roughly of the order of V/Ro where V is the relative velocity of the alpha
particle inside the nucleus. V is estimated using the kinetic energy (E) of the particle. From these
equations, the half-life can be obtained as,

1/2

2
2 2 2( 2) 2

= 0.693
exp{2 2 2
( 2 )}
2( + )

4
2

(10)
In order to calculate half-lives of given nuclei, atomic number, mass of the alpha particle and the
energy of the emitted alpha particle are required. Table 2.0 given below compares the predicted
half-lives by the Gamows model and the measured half-lives of alpha decays of Th isotopes.
A

E(MeV)

t1/2 (S)
Measured

Calculated

220

8.95

10-5

3.3*10-7

222

8.13

2.8*10-3

6.3*10-5

224

7.31

1.04

3.3*10-2

226

6.45

1854

6.0*101

228

5.52

6.0*107

2.4*106

230

4.77

2.5*1012

1.0*1011

232

4.08

4.4*1017

2.6*1016

Table 2.0 Calculated Alpha Decay Half-lives Vs Measured Half-lives for Th Isotopes.
The calculated half-lives are not in an agreement with the measured half-lives. But the Gamows
model for alpha decay has been able to reproduce the trend over a range of more than 20 orders of
magnitude. This is a good sign to indicate that the basics behind the alpha decay are covered by
this model.

Hindrance Factor
If all the other factors that could affect the alpha decay are taken into account, it should be able to
predict the half-life of alpha decay of a nucleus more accurately. Therefore, it is important to

consider the other facts. One can take the ratio of calculated half-life and the measure half-life.
This ratio should contain the effect of those factors. This factor is named as the hindrance factor.

1/2

1/2

1/2

(11)

Since George Gamow has done lot of approximations related to the structure of the nucleus in his
model, other effects are most likely related to the structure of the decaying nucleus.
These factors in name are,

Pre-formation Factor

Conservation Laws

Centrifugal Barrier

Pre-formation Factor
In George Gamows model, it assumed that there exists an alpha particle inside the daughter
nucleus. In reality, there may or may not be such an alpha particle. But, one can define a probability
for such an alpha particle to exist in side the nucleus using quantum mechanics.
= | < (, )|[( 4, 2) (4,2)]= > |2

(12)

This probability is defined as the pre-formation factor. It could be calculated using cluster models.
The hindrance factor therefore is proportional to the pre-formation factor.

Conservation Laws
In addition to the conservation of energy, decays are subject to conservations of angular
momentum and parity. The specialty in alpha particle is that it does not have any spin due to the
fact that it has even number of protons and neutrons. Therefore, the only way for an alpha particle
to carry out an angular momentum is as orbital angular momentum with respect to the parent
nucleus.

+ =

(13)

The requirement in conservation of parity can be written as,

( )( ) = ( )

(14)

Centrifugal Barrier
() = () +

( + 1)2
2 2

(15)

In George Gamows model, only coulomb potential was taken into account. But, the centrifugal
potential which arises due to the angular momentum of the alpha particle also make the barrier
potential increased. Equation (15) shows the effective potential barrier that an alpha particle feels.
Whenever it required to understand relative
intensities of alpha decays which leave the
daughter

nucleus

in

excited

states

(Branching Ratios), angular momentum

and

parity

conservation

laws

centrifugal barrier are key factors.

Figure 3.0 effective Barrier for Alpha Particle

How to explain branching ratios?

Figure 4.0 Alpha Decay Scheme of 249Cf to 245Cm

and

Figure 4.0 shows an example of alpha decay. It is obvious that it is not possible to explain the
branching ratios of this decay scheme by using George Gamows model only. According to his
model one could expect to get highest intensity for the decay mode with highest Q value. But, it
can be seen that the highest intensity is for decay mode in which the spin and parity of the parent
nucleus and the excited daughter nucleus is 9/2- . In this case, the orbital angular momentum carried
by the alpha particle is zero. Therefore the centrifugal barrier for that type of alpha particle is the
coulomb barrier only. Therefore, in the alpha decay of 249Cf to 245Cm, the excited state in 245Cm is
more populated than the ground states or the other excited states. After that it goes to the ground
state through Gamma decay.

Conclusions
George Gamow explained the theory of alpha decay via Quantum Mechanical Tunneling
Effect.
Even though, He could not predict the half-life (or decay constant) accurately, his model
could reproduce the trend of half-lives over a range of more than 20 orders.
But, Alpha decay can be more accurately explained using the same model with the help of
other structure effects. (eg :Pre-formation Factor, Conservation Laws and centrifugal
Barrier)

References
[1] Kenneth S. Krane, Introductory Nuclear Physics, John Wiley & Sons,1987.
[2] Tristan Hubsch, Theory of Alpha Decay, Department of Physics and Astronomy Howard
University, Washington, DC 20059, 1997.
[3] D. Park, Introduction to Quantum Physics, 3rd ed., McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1992.
[4] D. Bucurescu, N.V. Zamfir, Fine structure of alpha decay of even-even trans-lead nuclei an
Intriguing nuclear structure paradigm, Journal of Physics: Conference Series 413, 2013.