Particle physics

Isotope

Atom with the same proton number but different mass number

Specific charge

Charge C / mass kg

What are the four fundamental forces

Strong nuclear

Gravity

Weak nuclear

Electromagnetic

Properties of the strong nuclear force

affects hadron

Exchange particle is pions / gluon

Hold protons and neutrons together

Repulsive at less than 0.5 fm

Attractive up to about 3-4fm

Properties of the electromagnetic force

Affects charge particles

Exchanged by the virtual photon

Causes protons to repel each other

Properties of the weak nuclear force

Affects all types of particles

Exchange particles are the w+ and w- bosons

Properties of gravity

Affects particles with mass

Graviton exchange particle (Not found only theorised)

Attracts nucleons together due to mass

Main types of nuclear decay

Alpha, beta^±

Features of an alpha decay

Alpha particles are helium nuclei usually emitted from very large particles

Proton number decreases by 2

Nucleon number decreases by 4

An alpha particle is emitted

Features of a beta minus decay

Neutron decays into a proton

Emits an electron and an electron antineutrino

The electron is the beta minus particle

The proton number increases by 1

Features of beta plus decay

Proton decays into neutron

Proton decays into a beta plus particle and an electron neutrino

Beta plus particle is a positron

Proton number decreases by 1

What are photons

Discrete bundles of electromagnetic radiation

Planks constant equations for energy

E=hf=hc/λ

h is planks constant 6.63×10-³⁴

What is antimatter made up of

Antiparticles (Same mass, opposing charge)

What is pair production

When a photon has sufficient energy it can be converted into a particle and corresponding antiparticle

What is annihilation

When a particle meets its antiparticle, converting into 2 equal energy photons that move in opposite directions

What is a hadron

Non fundamental particles that feel the strong nuclear force

Baryons and Mesons are Hadron

Protons are most stable baryon

Baryon number must be conserved in interactions

What are leptons

Fundamental particles such as electrons muons and neutrinos (And Tauon)

Neutron decay

Neutron decays into a proton electron and electron antineutrino

Quarks

Fundamental subatomic partial making up hadrons

Up down and strange are 3 flavours

What is a baryon

A combination of 3 quarks or antiquarks

Proton uud

Neutron udd

Mesons

quark and an antiquark

Conservation laws

Energy

Momentum

Charge

Baron number

Lepton number (Split in to muon and electron numbers)

Strangeness is conserved in strong interactions

Kaon composition

K⁺ uS̅

K⁰ dS̅

K^- sū

Pion composition

n⁺ uđ

n^- dū

n⁰ uū dđ