Gamma Ray Emission (Also seen in GCSE Physics 2)
Alpha emission is often followed by gamma ray emission. The daughter nuclei are left in an excited state (remember energy levels from Unit 1) which they will at some point fall from to the ground state, emitting a gamma photon. There is no nuclear structure change, just a change of energy.
Loss: Energy
| Section 8 | Nuclear Radius | |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson 5 | ||
| Learning Outcomes | To be able to calculate the radius of a nucleus by the closest approach of alpha particles | |
| To be able to calculate the radius of a nucleus by the diffraction angle of electrons | ||
| To be able to calculate the nuclear radius and nuclear density | M.BENYOHAI |
Rutherford gave us an idea of the size of the nucleus compared to the atom but more experimental work has been done to find a more accurate measurement.