Abstract: This chapter discusses the relationship between nuclear instability and radioactive decay, and describes the different modes of radioactive decay and the conditions in which they occur. It explains decay schemes and the fundamental equations of radioactive decay. The chapter also describes the principles of transient and secular equilibrium, and discusses the principles of the artificial production of radionuclides. Radioactivity can be described mathematically without reference to the specific mode of decay of radioactive atoms. The rate of decay is directly proportional to the number of radioactive atoms N present in the sample. Alpha decay is a decay process in which greater nuclear stability is achieved by emission of 2 protons and 2 neutrons as a single alpha particle from the nucleus. Nuclei with an N/Z ratio that is above the line of stability tend to decay by a form of beta decay that is sometimes referred to as negatron emission.
Publication Year: 2016
Publication Date: 2016-02-05
Language: en
Type: other
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot