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Radiation Sources
Radiation Sources Richard E. Faw J. Kenneth Shultis Kansas State University
I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII.
Radiation Producing Reactions Radioactivity Neutron Sources Sources of Gamma Photons Sources of X Rays Cosmic and Solar Radiation Radiation Sources in Human Enterprises
GLOSSARY Activity The decay rate (expected number of nuclear transformations per unit time) in a radioactive sample. Units are the becquerel (Bq) equal to one decay per second, and the curie (Ci) equal to 3.7 × 1010 decays per second. Alpha particle The nucleus of a 4 He atom, composed of two neutrons and two protons and denoted by α. Beta particle An energetic electron, denoted by β − . Coulomb force The electrostatic force between two charges. It is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The force is attractive if the charges are of opposite sign, and repulsive if of like sign. Dose A general term for the energy transferred from radiation to matter. Specifically, the absorbed dose is the amount of energy absorbed in a unit mass of matter from ionizing radiation. Units are the gray (Gy) and rad, respectively equivalent to 1 J/kg and 100 ergs/g. Thus 1 Gy equals 100 rad.
Dose equivalent A measure of the health risk associated with the absorption of radiation in the human body. It equals the absorbed dose multiplied by a quality factor to correct for the relative degree of damage caused by different radiations. Units are the sievert (Sv) or rem for the dose in grays and rads, respectively. Hadron A subatomic particle that reacts via strong nuclear forces. Hadrons include mesons (e.g., pions and kaons) and baryons (e.g., protons and neutrons). Hadrons do not include bosons (e.g., photons) and leptons (e.g., electrons, muons, and neutrinos). Meson A subatomic particle, a subclass of hadrons, composed of an even number of other subatomic particles called quarks. Most important are the pi meson (pion) and K meson (kaon). Nuclide A term used to refer to a particular atom or nucleus with a specific neutron number N and atomic (proton) number Z . The nuclide with N neutrons and Z protons and electrons is denoted as ZAX where X is the chemical symbol (determined by Z ) and A = Z + N
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I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII.
Radiation Producing Reactions Radioactivity Neutron Sources Sources of Gamma Photons Sources of X Rays Cosmic and Solar Radiation Radiation Sources in Human Enterprises
GLOSSARY Activity The decay rate (expected number of nuclear transformations per unit time) in a radioactive sample. Units are the becquerel (Bq) equal to one decay per second, and the curie (Ci) equal to 3.7 × 1010 decays per second. Alpha particle The nucleus of a 4 He atom, composed of two neutrons and two protons and denoted by α. Beta particle An energetic electron, denoted by β − . Coulomb force The electrostatic force between two charges. It is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The force is attractive if the charges are of opposite sign, and repulsive if of like sign. Dose A general term for the energy transferred from radiation to matter. Specifically, the absorbed dose is the amount of energy absorbed in a unit mass of matter from ionizing radiation. Units are the gray (Gy) and rad, respectively equivalent to 1 J/kg and 100 ergs/g. Thus 1 Gy equals 100 rad.
Dose equivalent A measure of the health risk associated with the absorption of radiation in the human body. It equals the absorbed dose multiplied by a quality factor to correct for the relative degree of damage caused by different radiations. Units are the sievert (Sv) or rem for the dose in grays and rads, respectively. Hadron A subatomic particle that reacts via strong nuclear forces. Hadrons include mesons (e.g., pions and kaons) and baryons (e.g., protons and neutrons). Hadrons do not include bosons (e.g., photons) and leptons (e.g., electrons, muons, and neutrinos). Meson A subatomic particle, a subclass of hadrons, composed of an even number of other subatomic particles called quarks. Most important are the pi meson (pion) and K meson (kaon). Nuclide A term used to refer to a particular atom or nucleus with a specific neutron number N and atomic (proton) number Z . The nuclide with N neutrons and Z protons and electrons is denoted as ZAX where X is the chemical symbol (determined by Z ) and A = Z + N
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