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What is Radiation?

What is Radiation?. Health Physics Society - Power Reactor Section Radiation Science Education. Outline. Ionizing & Non-Ionizing Photons & Particles Stable & Unstable Atoms Half -Life Radiation Detectors. Ionizing & Non-Ionizing Radiation.

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What is Radiation?

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  1. What is Radiation? Health Physics Society - Power Reactor Section Radiation Science Education

  2. Outline • Ionizing & Non-Ionizing • Photons & Particles • Stable & Unstable Atoms • Half -Life • Radiation Detectors

  3. Ionizing & Non-Ionizing Radiation • Ionizing Radiation: Radiation is energy transmitted as particles or waves. Ionizing radiation has sufficient energy to dislodge orbital electrons, thereby producing ions. • Examples: alpha, beta, gamma, neutron, and x-rays • Non-Ionizing Radiation: Radiation that does not have sufficient energy to dislodge orbital electrons. • Examples: visible light, infra-red , micro-waves, radio-waves, and radar

  4. Ionizing Radiation Hits An Atom Ejected Electron Incoming Photon

  5. Particles and Photons • Radiation can be in the form of particles or waves (photons). • The most common types of ionizing radiation are alpha, beta, gamma, neutron, and x-rays. • Gamma and x-ray radiation are photons. They are part of the electromagnetic spectrum and considered packets of pure energy. • Alpha, beta, and neutron radiation are particles having mass. Betas are electrons and alphas are helium nuclei.

  6. Electromagnetic Spectrum

  7. Radioactive Decay:The process of unstable atoms spontaneously emitting radiation.  Half-Life = 1.3 billion years Parent Nucleus Potassium-40 Unstable atom Daughter Nucleus Calcium-40 Stable atom

  8. What is Half-Life? • Radioactive decay is the process where an unstable atom emits radiation. • Radioactive decay changes unstable atoms into more stable atoms. • Half-life is the time it takes for 1/2 the atoms of a particular radioactive element to transform itself by decay.

  9. Gas-Filled Detectors Voltage Source Incident Ionizing Radiation + + + Electrical Current Measuring Device - - - Anode + Cathode -

  10. Key Concepts • Radioactive Decay: The process where an unstable atom transforms itself into a more stable atom by spontaneous emission of radiation. • Ionizing Radiation: Any radiation which is capable of dislodging electrons from atoms thereby producing ions. • Half Life: The time it takes for one-half of the atoms of a particular radioactive element to transform itself by radioactive decay.

  11. References • Nuclear Regulatory Commission Home Page: www.nrc.gov • teachers corner@www.nrc.gov/NRC/teachers.html • students corner@www.nrc.gov/NRC/STUDENTS/students.html • Nuclear Energy Institute Home Page: www.nei.org • science club@ www.nei.org/scienceclub/index.html • Health Physics Society Home Page: www.hps.org • www.hps.org/publicinformation/radfactsheets/

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