SFT1023

INTRODUCTION
TO
RADIATION
&
NUCLEAR PHYSICS
By
HJ SHAHARUDIN ALI
 INTERACTIONS OF
RADIATION WITH MATTER
 Youtube links
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCbVh
iSZdWw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQmnz
tyXwVA
(Survey)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=8BrzBvytwCs

• https://www.youtube.com/results?search_
query=radiation+effects&sm=1
Radiation

Radiation, in our context, is energy in

the form of high speed particles and
electromagnetic waves. Radiation is
further defined into ionizing and non-
ionizing radiation.
Ionizing radiation

Radiation with enough energy so

that during an interaction with an
atom, it can remove bound
electrons, i.e., it can ionize atoms.
Examples are X-rays and electrons.
Ionizing radiation consists of photons
and/or moving particles that have
sufficient energy to knock an electron
out of an atom or molecule → an ion.
The photons usually lie in the
ultraviolet, X-ray, or γ-ray regions of the
electromagnetic spectrum
The moving particles can be the α and
β particles emitted during radioactive
decay.
 Radiation types:
Alpha particle (2 Ps + 2 Ns: 4He
nucleus)
Beta particle (- or + electron)
Gamma ray (photon energy packet)

Neutrons

Cosmic Rays
An energy of roughly 1 to 35 eV is
needed to ionize an atom or molecule
The particles and γ-rays emitted during
nuclear disintegration often have
energies of several million eV.
Therefore, a single α-particle, β- particle,
or γ-ray can ionize thousands of
molecules
 Radioactivity

Spontaneous emission of
particles/energy from unstable nuclei

235
U 231
Th

alpha
particle
A heavy charged particles moving
through a solid, liquid or a gas travels
a well-defined distance or range
before coming to rest.
As the highly energetic particles
passes through the medium, it loses
energy continuously before coming to
rest, some lost through elastic
collision with nuclei
the medium atoms exited and ionized
Interaction of Charged Particles with Matter:
Ionization
The range depends on
• the charge, mass, energy of
the particles
• the density of the medium,
the ionizing potential and
atomic number of the atoms in
the medium
 Mass
• It is convenient to use unified mass units, u, to
express masses
– 1 u = 1.660 559 x 10-27 kg
– Based on definition that the mass of one atom of C-12
is exactly 12 u
• Mass can also be expressed in MeV/c2
– From ER = m c2
– 1 u = 931.494 MeV/c2
 Summary of Masses

Masses

Particle kg u MeV/c2

Proton 1.6726 x 10-27 1.007276 938.28

Neutron 1.6750 x 10-27 1.008665 939.57

Electron 9.109 x 10-31 5.486x10-4 0.511

 For a given energy
a Proton has a range
~10X that of the 
particle
proton
~ less charge

interact weakly
with the medium
α particle
~ more massive, it
The range of  particles and travels at low speed
protons in air under
standard conditions loss energy
more readily, it has
 At low energies (v  c )
AAA The energy loss rate
/stopping power is
proportional to kinetic
energy

At high energies (v  c )
The energy loss
rate /stopping power
is approximately
energy independent
The energy loss vs the energy of a
charged particle of mass moving
through a medium
The energy loss rate of the charged particles is
approximately proportional to the density of
the medium through which it travel. The higher
medium density means more excitation of
electrons involve during the ionization process in
the medium .

For proton with energy 1 to 10 MeV

1
The range in aluminum 600 of the range in
air
 Electronvolt
• Energy that one electron gains
when being accelerated over 1V
potential difference is called one
electronvolt (1eV)
• 1eV=1.6x10-19C 1V= 1.6x10-19J
• Another unit to measure energy,
• Commonly used in atomic and
particle physics.

Energy  5000eV
Electrons
Energy << 1 MeV ~ same process
Range not well defined
~ smaller than proton
~ large statistical variations of the path
~ takes a few deflection collision before coming to stop
~ easy to scatter
~ easy to accelerate
~ decelerated electrons by atom emits EM
radiation (photon)
Photon/EM Waves
~ uncharged not effective to produce
ionization and excitation
~ the direction interaction of photon with
matter does not cause the bulk of ionization
directly.
~ Some photons interaction result in the
ejection of orbital electrons and these in turn
cause the bulk of ionization
~ High energy photons are classified as
secondary ionization radiation or indirect
ionization radiation.
~ can be removed from a beam by
scattering or absorption in the
medium
~ photoelectric effect
~ compton effect
~ pair production

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p47RBPiOCo
Energy of the photons,
E  hf
where h  6.6261  1034 Js
( Planck ' s constant )
.
f  frequency of the photons
Interaction of x or  rays (photons) with matter
AAA
Non-ionizing radiation

Radiation without enough energy

to remove bound electrons from
their orbits around atoms.
Examples are microwaves and
visible light.
INTERACTION OF PHOTON WITH
MATTER
 ABSORPTION OF
PHOTON IN MEDIUM
Incident 1MeV
photons
SCATTERED
PHOTONS
For monoenergetic beam of
photons incident on either
thick or thin slabs of material,
an exponential relationship
exists between number of
incident photons (Io) and
those transmitted (I) through
thickness x without interaction
Intensity of the photon beam inside
the matter

 x
I ( x)  Ioe
I o the incident photon intensity
x  distance
  linear absorption coefficient
Photons intensity
no. of photons
measured in ( )
m s
2
Half-value thickness
The thickness of the absorber that will
reduce the intensity of a beam of particles
by factor of 2.

Io
I ( x) 
2
Example:
Calculate HVT for lead, assuming an x-ray
beam of wavelength is 20 picometer

I ( x)  I o e  x
Io  x 1 ln 2
I ( x)   e   x 
2 2 
from table
  55 cm 1
ln 2 0.693
x 
55 55
 0.0126 cm