Scribd
Upload
0 views12 pages

Basic Radiation Concept

notes

Uploaded by

Anya Kawakami
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
0 views12 pages

Basic Radiation Concept

notes

Uploaded by

Anya Kawakami
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/ 12

BASIC CONCEPT OF RADIATION

TYPES OF IONIZING RADIATION

• IONIZING RADIATION
TWO CATEGORIES
❑ PARTICULATE RADIATION
❑ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION

• NON -IONIZING RADIATION


IONIZING RADIATION
-capable of removing/ejecting an orbital electron
from the atom with which it interacts.

NON -IONIZING RADIATION

does not have enough energy to remove electrons


Particulate Radiation

• Consequently, electrons, protons, and even rare


nuclear fragments all can be classified as particulate
ionizing radiation if they are in motion and possess
sufficient kinetic energy.
• At rest, they cannot cause ionization.
• There are two main types of particulate radiation:
ALPHA PARTICLES and BETA PARTICLES. Both are
associated with radioactive decay.
ALPHA PARTICLE
• An alpha particle is a helium nucleus that
contains two protons and two neutrons.
• Its mass is approximately 4 amu

• Alpha particles are emitted only from


the nuclei of heavy elements.
• possesses 4 to 7 MeV of kinetic energy

• ionizes approximately 40,000 atoms for


every centimeter of travel through air.
• the energy of an alpha particle is quickly lost
• a very short range in matter

• in air, alpha particles can travel approximately 5 cm; in soft tissue,


the range may be less than 100 µm.

• alpha radiation from an external source is nearly harmless because


the radiation energy is deposited in the superficial layers of the skin

• With an internal source of radiation, just the opposite is true. If


an alpha-emitting radioisotope is deposited in the body, it can
intensely irradiate the local tissue.
Beta particles
• A beta particle is an electron emitted
from the nucleus of a radioactive atom.
• Beta particles originate in the nuclei of radioactive atoms and
electrons exist in shells outside the nuclei of all atoms.
• Positive beta particles are positrons.

• light particles with an atomic mass number of 0 and carry one


unit of negative or positive charge.

• The beta particle range is longer than that for the alpha particle
• may traverse 10 to 100 cm of air and approximately 1 to 2 cm of soft tissue.
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION

• X-rays and gamma rays are forms of electromagnetic ionizing radiation.


• X-rays and gamma rays are often called photons.
• Photons have no mass and no charge. They travel at the speed of light
(c = 3 × 108 m/s) and are considered energy disturbances in space.
• The only difference between x-rays and gamma rays is their origin.
• Gamma rays are emitted from the nucleus of a radioisotope and are usually
associated with alpha or beta emission.
• X-rays are produced outside the nucleus in the electron shells.
• X-rays and gamma rays exist at the speed of light or not at all.
• After being emitted, they have an ionization rate in air of approximately
100 ion pairs/cm, about equal to that for beta particles.
• In contrast to beta particles, however, x-rays and gamma rays have an
unlimited range in matter.
• Photon radiation loses intensity with distance but theoretically never
reaches zero.
• Particulate radiation, on the other hand, has a finite range in matter, and that
range depends on the particle’s energy.

You might also like