Section 1

Radioactive Decay
Atomic structure
nucleus, electron shells

Unstable too many too many

parent too many
neutrons and neutrons protons
nucleus
protons

electron
alpha beta positron
capture
Decays emission emission emission

gammas

Adjustments
sometimes 'Excited' daughter
necessary nucleus loses energy

'delayed'
'prompt' (isomeric)
gamma gamma emission
emission

some gammas vacancies in

are 'internally electron shells
converted' are filled

Daughter IC electrons x-rays

emitted instead Auger
nucleus
of gammas electrons
(usually
stable)

Symbol
What "comes out" when the parent atom disintegrates
Only the gamma rays are useful for imaging.
Everything else just adds to the radiation dose.

1
 Basic Physics

Section 2
Activity – The Rate of Decay

Exponential Decay Equation decay factor

decay constant

Units of Activity Measurement

SI System ‘Old’ System

bequerel curie

Half Life physical

biological

effective

Exercise
Determining
Half Life of 99mTc

Statistics of
counting radioactivity

Exercises
Determining
Counting accuracy
Counting efficiency

2
 Basic Physics

Section 3
Interaction of radiation with matter

Radiation

Photons Charged Particles

Gamma rays Beta rays (positrons)

X-rays IC electrons

Photoelectric Compton ionizing bremsstrahlung

Absorption scatter excitation

energy
spectrum

Exercises
Plotting a
99mTc spectrum

attenuation of
photon beam

Intensity Equation

attenuation half value layer

coefficients tenth value layer