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• (We use the symbol “e” to distinguish an orbital electron from a beta
particle, β.) The orbital vacancy is quickly filled by an electron that
moves down from a higher energy level, and that process continues
through still higher energy levels, with x-ray photons and neutrinos
carrying off the energy difference in each step. Radioactive iron
forms stable manganese through electron capture:
• Even though the processes are different, electron capture has the
same net effect as positron emission : Z lower by 1, A unchanged.
Gamma (γ) emission
• Involves the radiation of high-energy γ photons from an excited
nucleus. Just as an atom in an excited electronic state reduces its
energy by emitting γ photons, usually in the UV and visible ranges, a
nucleus in an excited state lowers its energy by emitting photons,
which are of much higher energy (much shorter wavelength) than
UV photons. Many nuclear processes leave the nucleus in an
excited state, so γ emission accompanies many other (but mostly β )
types of decay. Several γ photons (also called γ rays) of different
energies can be emitted from an excited nucleus as it returns to the
ground state. Some of Marie Curie’s experiments involved the
release of γ rays, such as