Transcript Document

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Chapter 31
Nuclear Physics and Radioactivity
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1. Nuclear Structure
a)
Proton
- positive charge
- mass 1.673 x 10-27 kg ≈ 1 u
b)
Neutron
- discovered by Chadwick (student of Rutherford)
- hypothesized to account for mass of atom
- discovered with scattering experiments
- zero charge
- mass 1.675 x 10-27 kg ≈ 1 u
- mass of neutron ≈ mass of proton + mass of electron
- neutron can eject electron to form proton, but it’s not a
proton and an electron
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c) Nucleon - constituent of nucleus (neutron or proton)
d) Nomenclature
A - number of nucleons (atomic mass number)
Z - number of protons
N - number of neutrons
A=Z+N
Symbol for nucleus of chemical element X:
A
Z
X
4
Examples:
hydrogen nucleus: 11H
helium 4: 42 He
neutron: 01n
electron: -10e
aluminum:
27
13
Al 
27
Al
Since Z determines the element (X), only AX is needed.

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e) Atomic mass unit, u
Define: Mass of 12C = 12 u
Then,
1 u = 1.66 x 10-27 kg = 931.5 MeV/c2
mp = 1.00727 u
mn = 1.008665 u
In chemistry and biology, 1 dalton (Da) = 1 u
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f) Isotopes; nuclei with the same Z, different N
e.g. 35Cl, 37Cl (65%, 35%),
12C, 13C, 14C (99%, 1%, 0.01%)
g) Nuclear size and density
Close-packed
- constant density
- Volume proportional to atomic number (A)
- Since V = 4/3 πr3, A prop. to r3
- r prop. A1/3
- r ≈ (1.2 x 10-15 m) A1/3 = 1.2 fm A1/3
- density of neutron star = 100 million tonne/cm3
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2. Nuclear force and stability
a) Strong nuclear force
-
one of the fundamental forces
holds protons together in spite of Coulomb
repulsion
short range: ~ fm (zero for longer range)
-
-
only adjacent nucleons interact
acts equally between n-p, n-n, p-p
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b) Symmetry
- Pauli exclusion principle: N=Z gives maximum stability considering
only nuclear force
c) Coulomb repulsion
-long range; all protons interact (only
adjacent nucleons feel nuclear force)
- repulsion increases with size -- neutron
excess needed for stability
- above Z = 83 (Bi) stability not
possible; larger elements decay emitting
radioactivity
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3. Mass defect and binding energy
a) Binding energy
energy required to separate constituents of nucleus
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b) Mass defect
From special relativity, adding energy increases mass:
B.E.  mc2  m1c 2  m2c 2  ...  mic 2
B.E. 


2
m

m
c
 i

B.E .  mc 2

m  mass defect = constituents - composite


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Example: 4He (alpha particle)
m  (2m p  2mn  m 4 He )  0.0304u
BE  mc2  (0.0304u)c2

931.5MeV  2
 0.0304
c
2


c

 28.3 MeV

Compare ionization potential for H atom: 13.6 eV

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c) Atomic electrons
-Masses usually tabulated for neutral atoms (including
atomic electrons)
- Can use atomic masses if electrons balance:
4
He  B.E .  2n 2 H
1
( 4 He  2e)  B.E.  2n  2(1 H  e)


d) Binding energy per nucleon
- determines stability
- for 4He, BE = 28 MeV so BE/nucleon = 7 MeV
increase in nearest
neighbors
increase in Coulomb repulsion dominates
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For a given number of nucleons,
- if BE/nucleon increases
- mass defect increases
- total mass decreases
- energy released
Energy released
Fusion
Fission
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Fusion:
Potential energy diagram for
nucleons: fusion releases energy
Energy (high temperature in the sun)
required to push nuclei together against
the Coulomb force.
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Fission:
Potential energy diagram for two halves of a
large nucleus: fission releases energy
May occur spontaneously,
or be induced by neutron
bombardment
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4. Radioactivity
- spontaneous decay of nucleus
- releases energy to achieve higher BE/nucleon
- mass of parent > mass of products
a) - decay
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- ejection of 4He nucleus
A
Z
4
P AZ 4
D
2
2 He
- transmutation: element changes

- Energy released (KE of , daughter, energy of photon)
E  mc 2  (m p  md  m )c 2
Use atomic masses for P, D, 4He (electrons balance):

E  (mp(atom)  md(atom)  m 4 He(atom))c 2

For 238U, 234Th, 4He,
E = 4.3 MeV
-decay
b)  - decay
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- ejection of electron
A
Z
P
A
Z 1
D 
0
1
- governed by weak nuclear force
- transmutation

- Energy released, as KE of electron
E  mc 2  (m p  md  m )c 2
Use atomic masses for P, D, and add one electron mass:

E  (mp(atom)  md(atom))c 2

For 234Th and 234Pa,
- decay
E = 0.27 MeV
Other modes of beta decay
A
0
P

D
- ejection of positron
Z 1
1
A
Z
- electron capture


A
Z
P 10 AZ 1 D
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c)  - decay
- emission of a photon
Z P Z P  
- no transmutation
- accompanies  - decay, fission, neutron decay
A


A
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d) Decay series
- sequential decays to an eventual stable nucleus
- 4 separate series (A can
only change by 4)
Qu i c k T i m e ™ a n d a
T I F F (Un c o m p re s s e d ) d e c o m p re s s o r
a re n e e d e d t o s e e th i s p i c t u re .
238U
-> 206Pb
235U
-> 207Pb
232Th
-> 208Pb
237Np
-> 209Bi (not obs’d)
e) Neutrino, 
- postulated by Pauli in 1930 to account for missing energy in -decay
A
Z
P AZ 1 D 10  
A
Z
P AZ 1 D 10  
- observed in 1956

- mass ~ zero (< ~ eV) (standard model predicts non-zero mass)
- could account for missing mass in universe
- zero charge
- interacts only by weak nuclear force (difficult to detect)
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5. Radioactive decay rate; activity
a) Activity
Activity is the number of decays per unit time, or
where N represents the number of nucleii present.

N
t
For a random process, the activity is proportional to N:
N
 N
t
This gives (by integration)


 is the decay constant
N  N 0e t
where N0 is the number of nuclei at t = 0.
Units:
1 Bq (becquerel) = 1 decay/s
1 Ci (curie) = 3.7 x 1010Bq (activity of 1 g radium)

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b) Half-life
Exponential decay:
For a given time interval, the fractional
decrease in N is always the same:
N1 e t1
 t2  e  (t1 t2 )
N2 e
Define half-life as the time for activity
to reduce by 1/2:

1
 e  (T1/ 2 )
2
T1/ 2 

ln2


.693

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Using
e t  2 t / ln 2
the exponential can be expressed
N  N 0 2t / ln 2
so
t /T1/ 2
1
N  N0
2
number of half-lives


1
N  N0
2
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6. Radioactive dating
a) Carbon dating
- based on the reaction:
14
C 14 N + 
T1/2 = 5730 years
- 14C/12C ratio constant in atmosphere due to cosmic rays
- living organisms ingest atmospheric carbon; dead matter doesn’t
- ratio of 14C/12
C in matter gives time since death
Equilibrium ratio: 1/8.3 x 1011
==> 1 g C contains 6 x 1010 atoms of 14C
==> Activity of 1g C (at eq’m) = 0.23 Bq = A0
==> Activity of 1g C (time t after death) = A= A0e-t
1  A 
t  ln 
 A0 
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b) Dating ancient rocks
Age equation: