Scribd
Upload
135 views1 page

Assignment 4 Alpha

This document discusses alpha decay and provides examples to solve. 1. 232Th can decay by emitting an alpha particle but not a proton, as alpha decay reduces energy while proton emission does not. 2. The highest energy alpha particle emitted in 228Th decay to 224Ra has an energy of 5.423 MeV, populating the ground state of 224Ra, as it is expected the lowest energy state would be most populated. 3. Alpha decay theory and concepts like half-life can explain why isotopes with the same decay energy but different half-lives, and why minimum alpha energies are higher for heavy elements than rare earth elements.

Uploaded by

cece
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
135 views1 page

Assignment 4 Alpha

This document discusses alpha decay and provides examples to solve. 1. 232Th can decay by emitting an alpha particle but not a proton, as alpha decay reduces energy while proton emission does not. 2. The highest energy alpha particle emitted in 228Th decay to 224Ra has an energy of 5.423 MeV, populating the ground state of 224Ra, as it is expected the lowest energy state would be most populated. 3. Alpha decay theory and concepts like half-life can explain why isotopes with the same decay energy but different half-lives, and why minimum alpha energies are higher for heavy elements than rare earth elements.

Uploaded by

cece
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Alpha decay

1. Show that 232Th can reduce its energy by spontaneously emitting an α


particle, but cannot reduce its energy by spontaneously emitting a
proton.

2. In the decay 228Th → 224Ra + 4He, the highest energy α particle has an
energy 5.423 MeV and the next highest energy is 5.341 MeV.
(Krane 8-17)
(a) The highest energy decay populates the 224Ra ground state. Why is it
natural to expect this to be so?
(b) Compute the Q value for the decay from the measured α energy.
(c) Compute the energy of the first excited state of 224Ra

3. Explain the following in terms of α-decay theory and any other


concepts that may be required. (Harvey 7-9)
(a) 226
Th and Rn have the same α-decay energy, but the half-life of
220
220
Rn is 1 min and that of 226Th is 31 min.
(b) 235U and have 236U have nearly the same α-decay energy, but the
half-life of 235U is 7×108 y and that of 236U is only 2×107 y.
(c) In the heavy element region, α-particle energies are not found below
4 MeV, whereas in the rare earth region, they may be as low as 1.83
MeV.

You might also like