Lecture 18

Contd of equations
 Determination of the Q value for nuclear reaction.
Ideally Q= (KE)inc –(KE)out
Q has the same value whether we consider CM frame or Lab frame.

Consideration

Q is also the change in the total rest mass.

M2 M4
M1 φ

Mc θ

M3
  M  M 2 M EM E
Q  E 1    E (1  )  3
Cos 1 1 1 3 3

 M  M M
3 1

………………………………………………………………………………………..(18.1
4 ) 4 4

Solutions of the Q equation can be given as follows:

E v v w
3
2

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

MME
v cos 1 3 1

M M 3 4
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………….(18.3)
 M Q  E M  M 
w 4 1 4 1

M M 3 4
……………………………………………………………………………………(18.4)

The acceptable solutions are those for which E 3

is real and positive.
If the Q value is negative then the ejectile M3 cannot be emitted .

Q will be –ve if the mass of the projectile M1 is greater than the mass of the recoil

nucleus M4 which means from the above equation the difference between M1 and

M4 is negative . The angle of observation θ becomes very large so cosθ is negative .

We have to see the physics implications of the equation as given below , for various

types of incident energy E1 this will give a road map to the types of nuclear reaction

which are possible.

 Nuclear reactions

Exoergic reactions Endoergic

reactions

Energetics of exoergic reactions

When the value of Q is positive , that means the kinetic energy of the products is

greater than that of the projectile plus target .

Endoergic reactions

When the value of Q is –ve , and an excess of kinetic energy must be put into the

reaction , through the projectile so that the reaction should be possible.

So we concentrate our attention of the behavior of the energy of the (outgoing

particle ) ejectile E3 and the direction θ. As we increased the incident energy

gradually.

The following cases arise E 0

1
(1) When the incident energy which means in terms of eV .

Let us try to understand with the help of an example

B10 (n,α) Li7 .

Calculate the value of Q in MeV from the equation

MB10 + Mn =MLi7 + Mα +Q

The data are given as follows ΔB10 = 12.051MeV, Δn =8.071MeV, ΔLi7= 14.908MeV

Δα = 2.425MeV .
Then as E1 0 , equations (18.2), (18.3) and (18.4) gives v 0

M Q  E M  M 
w 4 1 4 1

M M 3 4
and
QM
E  Q0
4
3
M  M 3 4

The kinetic energy is the same for all angles θ . Why is this so ?