High-energy particle

Track-etched membranes are made by exposing thin films (mica, polycarbonate, etc) to fission fragments from a radiation source. The high energy particles chemically alter material in their path. The material is then dissolved by suitable reagents, leaving nearly cylindrical holes (19). 

RBS is based on collisions between atomic nuclei and derives its name from Lord Ernest Rutherford who first presented the concept of atoms having nuclei. When a sample is bombarded with a beam of high-energy particles, the vast majority of particles are implanted into the material and do not escape. This is because the diameter of an atomic nucleus is on the order of 10 A while the spacing between nuclei is on the order of 1 A. A small fraction of the incident particles do undergo a direct collision with a nucleus of one of the atoms in the upper few pm of the sample. This collision actually is due to the Coulombic force present between two nuclei in close proximity to each other, but can be modeled as an elastic collision using classical physics. 

Fermi had been fascinated by the discovery of the neutron by James Chadwick in 1932. He gradually switched his research interests to the use of neutrons to produce new types of nuclear reactions, in the hope of discovering new chemical elements or new isotopes of known elements. He had seen at once that the uncharged neutron would not be repelled by the positively-charged atomic nucleus. For that reason the uncharged neutron could penetrate much closer to a nucleus without the need for high-energy particle accelerators. lie discovered that slow neutrons could... 

A radioactive nucleus spontaneously decomposes ( decays ) with the evolution of energy. As pointed out in Chapter 2, a few such nuclei occur in nature, accounting for natural radioactivity. Many more can be made ( induced ) in the laboratory by bombarding stable nuclei with high-energy particles. 

As a high-energy particle passes through matter, it creates an ionization track that contains positive ions. These ions are chemically reactive because their bonds are weakened by the loss of bonding electrons. Even though each cation eventually recaptures an electron to return to electrical neutrality, many ions first undergo chemical reactions that are the source of the damage done by nuclear radiation. 

Removal to sediments. Removal of surface-reactive trace elements from the oceans readily occurs by adsorption onto settling particles, and this process is most pronounced in the typically high-energy, particle-rich estuarine environment. Particles are supplied by rivers, augmented by additions of organic material generated within the estuary. Also, floes are created in estuaries from such components as humic acids and Fe. The interaction between dissolved and colloidal species is enhanced by the continuous resuspension of sediments in... 

More recent work shows that the amino acid yield (in particular of glycine) in a CO-N2-H2O atmosphere subject to irradiation with high energy particles is much higher than if spark discharges are used (Kobayaski et al., 1998). These authors thus assume that cosmic radiation could have been an important source of energy for prebiotic syntheses on Earth. 

Kobayashi K. et al. (2001). Formation of Bioorganic Compounds in Simulated Planetary Atmospheres by High-Energy Particles or Photons. Adv. Space Res. 27(2) 207-215. 

The physicochemical basis behind the technique of radiocarbon dating is the isotopic abundances of carbon s three isotopes 12C is the normal form and constitutes 98.9 per cent of all naturally occurring carbon. 13 C is the other naturally occurring isotope, with an abundance of about 1 per cent. 14C does not occur naturally, but tiny amounts of it are formed when high-energy particles from space collide with gases in the upper atmosphere, thus causing radiochemical modification. 

Time Scale. At a time of 10 1<( s after the passage of the high energy particle the super-excited molecules have relaxed or dissociated. At a time of 10 13 s the electron has been... 

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