Probably we all know the dark side of nuclear energy. In reality, the bright side of it exceeds the dark side in many folds. In this article we will learn about nuclear detectors, their types and different constituents of nuclear reactors. What is a nuclear reactor? A nuclear reactor is a device that is designed …
While the radiation propagates out from the nucleus, it interacts with other matter along its path. These interactions with external matter allow us to observe the radiation, and its effects, and to determine the nature of the transition inside the nucleus. This interaction of radiation with matter is also the cause of chemical, physical, and …
What happens when radiation interacts with the matter? Read More »
What is Radioactive Decay? Radioactive decay is a spontaneous nuclear transformation that has been shown to be unaffected by pressure, temperature, chemical form, etc (except a few very special cases). Radioactive decay involves a transition from a definite quantum state of the original nuclide to a definite quantum state of the product nuclide. Example of …
Kinetics, Half-life and Equilibrium of Radioactive Decay: A learner’s Approach Read More »
Special Nuclear Reactions 1. Neutron Induced Fission 2. Fusion 3. Photonuclear Reactions 4. Heavy Ion Reactions Neutron Induced Fission • A neutron is captured by heavy nuclide to form a compound nucleus • Compound nucleus then splits into two smaller fragments and emits two or three free neutrons along with 200 MeV of energy • …
Models for nulear reactions: No single reaction mechanism or model can explain all features of different types of nuclear reactions. Three well-known proposed mechanism of nuclear reactions are- 1. The optical model 2. Liquid-drop model or compound nucleus model 3. Direct interaction model The Optical Model of Nuclear Reaction This model uses the principle of …
Define Nuclear Reaction Reactions between an atomic nucleus and another particle are called nuclear reactions. A typical nuclear reaction involves two reacting particles—a heavy target nucleus and a light bombarding particle—and produces two new particles— heavier product nucleus and lighter ejected particle. X + a ……………> Y + b ……………….(1) The notation for a nuclear …
Nucleon: The constituent part of a nucleus (i.e. a neutron or proton). Nuclei: Plural of nucleus (one nucleus, 5 nuclei). Nuclide: Specific types of atoms are called nuclides. These nuclides are distinguished by a specific atomic number Z, which is the number of protons in that atom, and a specific mass number A. Scientists believe …