‫بسم اهلل الرحمن الرحيم‬

Radiation physics

Dr. Soha Basha

 Outline
• Atom
• Radioactive substances
• Sources of radiation
• Types of radiation

Dr.Soha Basha
 Composition of matter
• All things are composed of matter.
• Matter is anything that occupies space ,it occurs in 3
states solid, liquid and gas.
• Atom, the fundamental unit of elements, and cannot
be subdivided by ordinary chemical methods but
may be broken down into smaller(subatomic)
particles by special high-energy techniques.

Dr.Soha Basha
“fundamental "particles of the atoms are:
Electrons -•
ve

Protons v+ •
e
Neutron
Neutral •
s
They are of greatest interest in radiology

Dr.Soha Basha
ATOM

Dr.Soha Basha
 GROUND STATE

Electrically neutral atom with equal number of proton and

electron

Dr.Soha Basha
• The path of the electrons revolved around the
nucleus in orbits or shells.
• Orbits lies at defined distance from the
nucleus ,the innermost shell is the k shell and
the next in order are L,M,N,O,P and Q shells.
• The shells have numbers for identification
1 for K 2for L and so on.

Dr.Soha Basha
 MASS &SIZE OF THE ATOMS
• Most of the mass of an atom consists of
proton and neutrons concentrated in the
nucleus.
• but it contributes only small fraction of
the total size of an atom; most of the size
of an atom is contributed by the cloud of
electrons .

Dr.Soha Basha
• The electrostatic attraction between a positively
charged nucleus and its negatively charged
electrons balances the centrifugal force of the
rapidly revolving electrons and maintain them
in their orbits why?
• Consequently, the amount of energy required
to remove an electron from a given shell must
exceeded the electrostatic force of attraction
between it and the nucleus. This is called
binding energy .
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• Electrons in the K shell have the greatest
binding energy because they are closest to the
nucleus and they are tightly bound to the
nucleus
• The binding energy of the electrons in each
successive shell decrease

Dr.Soha Basha
• To move an electron from specific orbit to
another orbit further from the nucleus energy
must be supplied
• In contrast ,in moving an electron from an
outer orbit to one closer to the nucleus energy
is lost and give up in the form of
electromagnetic radiation.

Dr.Soha Basha
 EXCITED STATE
• It is the process by which sufficient energy
ejects an electron from its normal level to
another energy level.

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 IONIZING STATE
• It is the process by which an atom loses its
electrical neutrality and becomes an ion
either by addition or removal of an electron

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 IONIZATION 
• Is the process of converting
an atom or molecule into an ion by
adding or removing electrons.
• If an atom loses an electron, it becomes
a positive ion.
• If an atom gain an electron, it becomes
a negative ion.

Dr.Soha Basha
 ?What is radioactive substances

• CHARACTERIZED BY
• Unstable nucleus
• Excess energy
• Tends to go to “ground state”
• Becomes stable by emitting

Ionizing Radiation

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 THERE ARE 3 MAIN USES OF IONISING
:RADIATION IN MEDICINE
• Treatment

• Diagnosis

• Sterilization

Dr.Soha Basha
 RADIATION

• Definition
it is the transmission of energy through space
and matter.
• Sources
Natur Man-
al made Cos mic
Earth
Cos mic
Earth
Med ical
In du strial
Med ical
In du strial

Dr.Soha Basha
Dr.Soha Basha
Dr.Soha Basha
Dr.Soha Basha
 TYPES OF RADIATION

Particular (corpuscular (

Electromagnetic

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 PARTICULAR

• Alpha &beta particles given off by radium and

radio isotopes.

• Protons, electrons and neutrons resulting

from splitting of atom.

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ELECTROMAGNETIC

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Types of Electromagnetic
●
Radiation associated with sufficient

Ionizing energy to remove orbital electron from

an atom.

Non- ●
Radiation associated with insufficient
energy to remove orbital electron from
an atom.
ionizing

Dr.Soha Basha
 • IONIZING RADIATION
• Gamma ray
• X-ray
• NON IONIZING RADIATION
• Ultraviolet
• Visible light
• Infra red
• Microwaves
• Radio ,radar, TV waves

Dr.Soha Basha
• Gamma ray Are photons having the
same energy ranges as x-ray but they
originate in the nucleus of radioactive
atoms.
• X-ray in contrast originate from
interaction of electron and nucleus in a
manufactured device an x-ray machine.

Dr.Soha Basha
Dr.Soha Basha