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THE NUCLEUS OF THE ATOM. Potential Energy of any Body of Mass. The Proton. Rest Mass =1.007276466812awu Average Lifetime years Discovered, described, and named by Ernest Rutherford over a three-year period (1917-1920). James Chadwick. Student of Rutherford
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The Proton • Rest Mass =1.007276466812awu • Average Lifetime years • Discovered, described, and named by Ernest Rutherford over a three-year period (1917-1920)
James Chadwick • Student of Rutherford • Designed an experiment with Polonium and Beryllium target. Detected an uncharged form of radiation that had a mass approximately equal to the proton. • He called it the neutron. 1891-1974; Britain
The Neutron • Rest Mass =1.0086649160043awu • Average Lifetime =881.515 sec Chadwick’s experimental design
Isotopes • Following the discovery of neutrons, the disagreement between atomic number and atomic mass for the elements became clear. • Also, the disagreement between different forms of the same element could be explained.
Antoine Henri Becquerel • Discovered penetrating radiation by uranium salts that exposed photographic plates in the absence of visible light. • Reported in 1896. 1852-1908; France
Marie & Pierre Curie Following report of invisible radiation, Pierre and Marie worked on characterizing the radiation and finding other radioactive elements (e.g. Radium). Maria (Marie) SalomeaSklodowska-Curie; 1867-1934; Poland and France Pierre Curie; 1859-1909; France
Types of Radiation Paper Aluminum Lead M
Alpha Radiation (α-decay) • Discovered and named by Rutherford • Reduces the atomic number by 2 and atomic mass by 4 • Equivalent to a helium nucleus
Beta Radiation (β-decay) • Discovered by Becquerel and named by Rutherford • Neutron decays to a proton, an electron, an electron neutrino • Initiated in the nucleus by neutron spontaneously changing to proton (mediated by the weak nuclear force)
Gamma Radiation (γ-decay) • Discovered by Villard and named by Rutherford • Type of photon – high energy x-ray with frequency >1019 Hz • Potassium-40 good source • γ-decay in association with α and/or β decay
Half-Life • Probabilistic nature • Exponential decay • Rutherford suggested it as a way to date minerals.
Radiometric Dating Based on two decay sequences: 238U to 206Pb (half-life 700 million years) 235U to 207Pb (half-life 4.5 billion years) Usually taken from very stable zircon crystals
Controlled Nuclear Fission 1902-1980; Germany 1879-1968; Germany
Leo Szilard Tuesday, September 12, 1933. The stoplight changed to green. Szilárd stepped off the curb. As he crossed the street time cracked open before him and he saw a way to the future, death into the world and all our woes, the shape of things to come. (Rhodes 1986) 1898-1964; Hungary and USA
Enrico Fermi • Began to bombard elements with neutrons and transmutated them into different elements • In USA built first reactor to create a sustained nuclear reaction • Developed theory of β-decay 1901-1954; Italy and USA Pile-1; University of Chicago 2 December 1942
Fat Man, The Plutonium Bomb Plutonium bred from U-238 in reactors at Hanford, WA At Trinity Test Site Left: J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientific leader of Los Alamos Right: Gen. Leslie Groves
The Only Uses of Atomic Devices in War Little Boy at Hiroshima, 6 August 1945 Yield: 16 kt Casualties: >90,000 dead Fat Man at Nagasaki, 9 August 1945 Yield: 21 kt Casualties: >60,000 dead
The Cold War and Destruction Unlimited 10.4mt MIKE 1952 Edward Teller (1908-2003) Hungary and USA W-88 Warhead For Trident II missiles 475kt
Accidents TMI unit 2 28 March 1979 Chernobyl 26 April 1986 Fukushima-1 11 March 2011
Accelerators Tevatron at Fermilab, near Chicago Large Hadron Collider, CERN Appearance of the spray of subatomic particles from a high energy collision
The Four Fundamental Forces of Nature • Strong Nuclear Force: short range but very strong in attracting quarks (exchange of gluons changes color) within hadrons (e.g. protons and neutrons) • Weak Nuclear Force: short range and weaker than all forces except gravity. Exchange of W and Z bosons between quarks changes their flavor (e.g. U or D). • Electromagnetic Force: long distance and obeys inverse square law. Photons carry force which is exchanged between leptons. • Gravitational Force: long distance and obeys inverse square law. Gravitons attract all particles that have mass.
Strong Nuclear Force u = +2/3 d = -1/3
Antimatter • Every particle has an anti-particle (e.g. electron vs. positron) • Electron-positron annihilation yields gamma radiation