what are alpha rays used for

What is an alpha ray?

Seismic and Oceanographic Devices Alpha rays is made up of alpha particles. An alpha particle, structurally equivalent to the nucleus of a helium atom, consists of two protons and two neutrons . During nuclear decay, the liberated energy (decay energy) is shared between the daughter nucleus and the alpha particle.

What is alpha radiation and why is it used?

Alpha radiation is used as an energy source to power heart pacemakers. Plutonium-238 is used as the fuel source for such batteries; with a half-life of 88 years, this source of power provides a long lifespan for pacemakers. However, due to their toxicity, difficulties with patients in travelling, and problems with disposal, they are no longer used.

What are alpha particles used for in everyday life?

Alpha particles have low penetrating power but this still provides a range of useful applications: smoke detectors – americium-241 is commonly used in ionising smoke detectors. Smoke that enters the detector reduces the amount of alpha particles that are detected and triggers the alarm

What is alpha decay used for in everyday life?

Alpha radiation is also used to power a wide array of seismic and other oceanographic devices. These unmanned devices are often located in isolated locations, such as on the ocean floor, which limits the practicality of short-term batteries. Strontium-90 is the most common material used in these alpha decay batteries.

Where are alpha rays used?

Alpha radiation is used to treat various forms of cancer. This process, called unsealed source radiotherapy, involves inserting tiny amounts of radium-226 into cancerous masses. The alpha particles destroy cancer cells but lack the penetrating ability to damage the surrounding healthy cells.

How is alpha radiation used in everyday life?

Alpha particles have low penetrating power but this still provides a range of useful applications: smoke detectors – americium-241 is commonly used in ionising smoke detectors. Smoke that enters the detector reduces the amount of alpha particles that are detected and triggers the alarm.

What are 2 uses of alpha radiation?

Alpha particles are charged particles, which are emitted from naturally occurring materials (such as uranium, thorium, and radium) and man-made elements (such as plutonium and americium). These alpha emitters are primarily used (in very small amounts) in items such as smoke detectors.

How are beta rays used?

Beta radiation is used for tracers and monitoring the thickness of materials. Doctors may use radioactive chemicals called tracers for medical imaging. Certain chemicals concentrate in different damaged or diseased parts of the body, and the radiation concentrates with it.

Why is alpha radiation used in smoke alarms?

An isotope of americium which emits alpha particles is used in smoke alarms. Alpha radiation ionises the air and this allows a small current to flow between two electrodes. Alpha is weakly penetrating so smoke stops it, the current drops and the alarm goes off.

Are bananas radioactive?

The most well known examples of naturally-occurring radionuclides in foods are bananas and Brazil nuts. Bananas have naturally high-levels of potassium and a small fraction of all potassium is radioactive. Each banana can emit . 01 millirem (0.1 microsieverts) of radiation.

What does alpha radiation produce?

Alpha particles are subatomic fragments consisting of two neutrons and two protons. Alpha radiation occurs when the nucleus of an atom becomes unstable (the ratio of neutrons to protons is too low) and alpha particles are emitted to restore balance.

Can alpha particles penetrate skin?

They are relatively heavy, and only travel about an inch in air. Alpha particles can easily be shielded by a single sheet of paper and cannot penetrate the outer dead layer of skin, so they pose no danger when their source is outside the human body.

What type of radiation is used for medical tracers?

gamma raysDiagnostic techniques in nuclear medicine use radioactive tracers which emit gamma rays from within the body. These tracers are generally short-lived isotopes linked to chemical compounds which permit specific physiological processes to be scrutinized. They can be given by injection, inhalation, or orally.

What are uses of gamma rays?

Gamma rays are used in medicine (radiotherapy), industry (sterilization and disinfection) and the nuclear industry. Shielding against gamma rays is essential because they can cause diseases to skin or blood, eye disorders and cancers.

How is beta radiation used in daily life?

The medium penetrating power of beta particles provides a range of useful applications which include: thickness detectors for the quality control of thin materials i.e. paper. treatment of eye and bone cancers, strontium-90 or strontium-89 are commonly used.

Are gamma rays used as tracers?

A radioactive tracer is used to investigate inside a patient's body without surgery. Gamma (and sometimes beta) emitters are introduced into the body to be used as tracers. Radiation from a radioisotope used as a tracer is emitted inside the body. The radiation can penetrate tissues and leave the body to be detected.

Definition of Alpha Rays

Alpha rays is made up of alpha particles. An alpha particle, structurally equivalent to the nucleus of a helium atom, consists of two protons and two neutrons .

Other Definition of Alpha Rays

During nuclear decay, the liberated energy (decay energy) is shared between the daughter nucleus and the alpha particle. The two neutrons of an alpha particle give it additional mass that further facilitates ionization by coulombic interaction or even direct collision of the alpha particle with atomic electrons.

Mechanism of Production in Alpha Decay

In contrast to beta decay, the fundamental interactions responsible for alpha decay are a balance between electromagnetic and nuclear forces. Alpha decay results from the Coulomb repulsion between the alpha particle and the rest of the nucleus, which both have a positive electric charge, but which is kept in check by the nuclear force.

Uses of Alpha Rays

There are many ways in which science successfully beneficially uses alpha radiation.

Properties of Alpha Rays

Alpha rays are positively charged particles. Alpha-particle is a highly active and energetic helium atom that contains two neutrons and protons.

Use of Alpha Radiation

Most smoke detectors in professional environments are ionic technology and contain small amounts of americium 241, an alpha particle emitter. This isotope is very dangerous by inhalation or ingestion, but the harm is minimal if the source is kept closed. Advances in optical (LED based) technology tend to make them obsolete.

The impact of radiation or alpha rays on health

Alpha radiation hitting the human body from the outside is relatively harmless, because alpha particles, due to their low depth of penetration, mostly penetrate only the upper layers of dead skin and remain there.

What is alpha radiation?

Alpha radiation occurs when the nucleus of an atom becomes unstable (the ratio of neutrons to protons is too low) and alpha particles are emitted to restore balance. From: Environmental Monitoring and Characterization, 2004. Download as PDF. About this page.

What is the alpha particle?

An alpha particle, structurally equivalent to the nucleus of a helium atom, consists of two protons and two neutrons. During the process of nuclear decay, the liberated energy (decay energy) is shared between the daughter nucleus and the alpha particle.

How do alpha particles interact with the media they intersect?

Alpha particles are positively charged, huge in size (relative to electrons), readily interact with the media they intersect, and dissipate their energy rapidly. For example, 5.5 MeV alphas (typical of the energy emitted by many actinides) are stopped, and thus shielded, by a few centimetres of air or about 0.04 mm of human tissue. The alpha particle is absorbed in the epidermis (i.e., the outer layer of skin). Alpha particles do not penetrate the outer layer of dead skin and consequently pose little radiological danger. However, if inhaled or ingested, alpha emitters can be very damaging to internal tissues.

What happens when an alpha particle passes near an electron?

The closer an alpha particle passes near an electron the stronger the force and the higher the probability an ionizing event will occur. In these situations, the electron may be imagined as being “ripped” from its orbit as the alpha particle passes nearby.

Why does an alpha particle have a higher mass?

The high mass and charge of an alpha particle, relative to other forms of nuclear radiation, give it greater ionization power but a poorer ability to penetrate matter. However, electron excitation occurs when the alpha particle fails to impart sufficient energy to an atomic electron for it to be ejected from the atom.

How do alpha particles lose energy?

The major energy-loss mechanisms are electronic excitation and ionization. The alpha particle has a high electrical charge but a low velocity due to its large mass, and interactions are frequent. These interactions are with the loosely bound, outer electrons of the atoms in the material and should not be considered collisions. Since the particle is positively charged, it exerts an attractive force on the oppositively charged electron. In some cases, this force is not sufficient to separate the electron from the atom, but the electron is raised to a higher energy state and the atom is said to be “excited.” In other cases, the attractive force is sufficient to remove the electron from the atom (ionization). The closer an alpha particle passes near an electron the stronger the force and the higher the probability an ionizing event will occur. In these situations, the electron may be imagined as being “ripped” from its orbit as the alpha particle passes nearby.

What happens at the end of the travel of an alpha particle?

Near the very end of the travel, the specific ionization decreases to zero as the particle acquires two electrons and becomes a neutral atom. Alpha particles can be characterized as having straight paths and discrete ranges. In describing the movement of alpha particles through matter, the term mean range is used.

What are alpha particles?

Alpha particles ( a) are composite particles consisting of two protons and two neutrons tightly bound together (Figure 1). They are emitted from the nucleus of some radionuclides during a form of radioactive decay, called alpha-decay.

Why are alpha particles ionized?

Alpha particles are highly ionising because of their double positive charge, large mass (compared to a beta particle) and because they are relatively slow. They can cause multiple ionisations within a very small distance.

What is the purpose of radioisotope generators?

radioisotope thermoelectric generators use alpha particle decay from plutonium-238 to generate heat which is converted to electricity, commonly used in space probes . some alpha emitters are being investigated for their potential use in unsealed source radiotherapy to treat cancer. Back to top.

How fast do alpha particles travel?

Alpha particles are relatively slow and heavy compared with other forms of nuclear radiation. The particles travel at 5 to 7 % of the speed of light or 20,000,000 metres per second and has a mass approximately equivalent to 4 protons. Alpha particles, because they are highly ionising, are unable to penetrate very far through matter ...

Where do alpha emitters occur?

Many alpha emitters occur naturally in the environment. For example, alpha particles are given off by radionuclides such as uranium-238, radium-226, and other members of the naturally occurring uranium, thorium and actinium decay series which are present in varying amounts in nearly all rocks, soils, and water.

Why are alpha particles unable to penetrate matter?

Alpha particles, because they are highly ionising, are unable to penetrate very far through matter and are brought to rest by a few centimetres of air or less than a tenth of a millimetre of biological tissue (Figure 2). (Figure 2) Back to top.

Is an alpha particle the same as a helium atom?

An alpha-particle is identical to the nucleus of a normal (atomic mass four) helium atom i.e. a doubly ionised helium atom. Alpha particles (also termed alpha radiation or alpha rays) was the first nuclear radiation to be discovered, beta particles and gamma rays were identified soon after. (Figure 1) Back to top.

Why do we use alpha radiation?

The use of modern technology in hospitals and around the world has led to scientists using alpha radiation as a source of energy to power pacemakers for the hearts of patients with critical conditions. The heart pacemakers are used for patients with heart problems that may lead to low blood pressure. Therefore the pacemakers help in pumping the blood around the patient’s body and keep them alive for as long as it is needed. The alpha radiation is used as a source of energy to these pacemakers because it is able to produce energy for a very long period of time, hence giving the pacemakers a very long lifespan.

How is alpha radiation used in cancer treatment?

Alpha radiation is used in the hospital to treat various forms of cancer through a process called radiotherapy . The alpha radiation that leads to the emitting of alpha particles produces a significant amount of energy. Cancer treatment can be done using alpha or beta rays. However, the alpha rays are more appropriate in treating cancer because the alpha particles produce a high amount of energy and travel for a shorter distance as compared to beta rays. In order to perform radiotherapy, the human cells that are affected by the cancer virus are supposed to be killed. However, destroying the cancerous cells can lead to the destruction of normal cells. To avoid this scenario, doctors use alpha radiation because of the fact that it travels on a short path. When the alpha particles are administered onto the patient’s body, they are able to destroy the cells that are affected by cancer and avoid damage to the neighboring normal cells. However, these particles are supposed to be delivered in the specific human tissues containing cells that are affected by cancer. The radioactive waves are also used in the hospital and other treatment centers to sterilize the treating equipment such as surgical materials to kill the germs that may stick on that equipment before using them of another patient.

Why is alpha radiation used in pacemakers?

The alpha radiation is used as a source of energy to these pacemakers because it is able to produce energy for a very long period of time , hence giving the pacemakers a very long lifespan. 5. Heating devices. Alpha radiation produces a lot of heat energy that is used in various heating devices.

How does alpha radiation produce heat?

Alpha radiation produces a lot of heat energy that is used in various heating devices. The heat is produced naturally from radioisotopes that have stayed on the surface of the earth for a long period of time. The radioactive materials produce a lot of heat during the decay process where the alpha radiation is converted into thermal energy due ...

What is the energy produced by radioactive materials?

The radioactive materials produce a lot of heat during the decay process where the alpha radiation is converted into thermal energy due to the movement of the atoms in the element. The heat energy produced is used in various heating devices such as ther mal generators. 6. Smoke Detectors. Some devices such as smoke detectors are very essential ...

What is the end result of alpha decay?

The end result is that the atom becomes more stable than the original atom, thus, causing the element to transform into another element.

What happens when alpha particles are administered?

When the alpha particles are administered onto the patient’s body, they are able to destroy the cells that are affected by cancer and avoid damage to the neighboring normal cells. However, these particles are supposed to be delivered in the specific human tissues containing cells that are affected by cancer.