Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
The four most common modes of radioactive decay are: alpha decay, beta decay, inverse beta decay (considered as both positron emission and electron capture), and isomeric transition. Of these decay processes, only alpha decay (fission of a helium-4 nucleus) changes the atomic mass number ( A ) of the nucleus, and always decreases it by four.
Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is considered radioactive. Three of the most common types of decay are alpha, beta, and gamma decay.
Thus, alpha decay can be considered either a form of particle decay or, less frequently, as a special case of nuclear fission. The timescale for the nuclear strong force is much faster than that of the nuclear weak force or the electromagnetic force , so the lifetime of nuclei past the drip lines are typically on the order of nanoseconds or less.
Fission is a nuclear reaction or radioactive decay process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller, lighter nuclei and often other particles. The fission process often produces gamma rays and releases a very large amount of energy, even by the energetic standards of radioactive decay.
Spontaneous fission (SF) is a form of radioactive decay in which a heavy atomic nucleus splits into two or more lighter nuclei. In contrast to induced fission , there is no inciting particle to trigger the decay; it is a purely probabilistic process.
A significant amount of zirconium is formed by the fission process; some of this consists of short-lived radionuclides (95 Zr and 97 Zr which decay to molybdenum), while almost 10% of the fission products mixture after years of decay consists of five stable or nearly stable isotopes of zirconium plus 93 Zr with a halflife of 1.53 million years ...
Fission vs. fusion. Nuclear fission is the opposite of nuclear fusion in that the former unleashes energy by splitting heavy atoms apart. While fission and fusion both produce clean energy in ...
The neutrons that occur directly from fission are called prompt neutrons, and the ones that are a result of radioactive decay of fission fragments are called delayed neutrons. The term lifetime is used because the emission of a neutron is often considered its birth , and its subsequent absorption or escape from the core is considered its death .