3.2.1 Particles

3.2.1 Particles

1. Constituents of the Atom

   • Proton
   • Electron
   • Neutron (Proton + Electron)

2. Radioactive decay

   • α
     • Alpha decay causes the unstable atom to lose 2 protons and 2 neutrons; essentially ejecting helium nuclei.
     • Highly ionising
     • Produces heavy nuclei which can cause chain reactions and genetic mutation.
     • Range: 3cm of air. Can be stopped by a sheet of paper.
   • β
     • +
       • Beta positive decay causes the unstable (usually proton-rich) atom to convert a proton into a neutron, whilst also producing a high energy positron (anti-matter electron) and a neutrino.
     • -
       • Beta (negative) decay causes the unstable atom to convert a neutron into a proton, whilst also producing a high energy electron (anti-matter positron) and an neutrino.
     • Produces high energy electrons/positrons.
       • Slightly ionising
         • Range: 1.7m of air. Can be stopped by a sheet of aluminium or a plank of wood.
   • γ
     • Gamma decay causes the unstable atom to simply shuffle its particles, releasing excess energy in the process in the form of a gamma wave.
     • Reasonably ionising
     • Range: Several kilometres of air, can be stopped by centimetres of lead.

3. Fundamental interactions

4. Particle Zoo

5. Conservation Laws

6. Annihilation and Pair Production

   • Annihilation: the process in which a matter and an antimatter particle collide with eachother, converting their respective masses into energy, in the form of 2 photons, parting ways in separate directions for the sake of conserving momentum.
   • Pair production: the process in which a high energy photon converts energy into mass.

7. Quantum Phenomena

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