Atomic and Nuclear Physics

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions related to atomic and nuclear physics as outlined in the lecture notes.

Photons

Elementary particles of light, responsible for electromagnetic radiation.

Photoelectric Effect

The emission of electrons from a material when light shines on it.

Compton Scattering

The scattering of X-rays or gamma rays by electrons, resulting in a change of wavelength.

Wave-Particle Duality

The concept that light and matter exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties.

Atomic Mass

The mass of an atom, typically expressed in atomic mass units (u), consisting of protons and neutrons.

Mass Number

The total number of protons and neutrons in an atomic nucleus.

Atomic Number

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, determining its chemical properties.

Radioactive Decay

The process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation.

Half-life

The time taken for half the quantity of a radioactive isotope to decay.

Fission

The splitting of a heavy atomic nucleus into two smaller nuclei, releasing energy.

Fusion

The process of combining two light atomic nuclei to form a heavier nucleus, releasing energy.

Binding Energy

The energy required to disassemble a nucleus into its component nucleons.

Mass-Energy Equivalence

The principle that mass can be converted into energy, expressed mathematically as E=mc².

De Broglie Wavelength

The wavelength associated with a particle, given by the formula λ = h/p, where p is momentum.

Balmer Series

The set of spectral line emissions of the hydrogen atom corresponding to electronic transitions.

Gamma Decay

The release of electromagnetic radiation from an excited nucleus as it transitions to a lower energy state.

Alpha Decay

The process by which an unstable nucleus emits an alpha particle, consisting of 2 protons and 2 neutrons.

Beta Decay

The process by which a neutron is transformed into a proton, emitting an electron or positron.

Ionizing Radiation

Radiation with enough energy to remove tightly bound electrons from atoms, creating ions.

Non-ionizing Radiation

Radiation that does not carry enough energy to ionize atoms or molecules.

Curie (Ci)

A unit of radioactivity defined as 37 billion transformations per second.

Roentgen (R)

A unit for measuring ionizing radiation exposure in air.

Rad (Radiation Absorbed Dose)

A unit measuring the amount of ionizing radiation energy absorbed by a material.

Gray (Gy)

The SI unit of absorbed dose; one gray equals one joule of energy deposited per kilogram of matter.

Sievert (Sv)

The SI unit for equivalent dose, measuring the biological effect of ionizing radiation.