Nuclear & Particle Physics
4 terms
Baryons
Nuclear & Particle Physics
Composite Fermion Class
Subatomic composite hadrons made of three valence quarks held together by gluons, possessing half-integer spin (fermions).
Quark Content: q q q, Spin = ½, ³/₂..., Baryon Number B = 1
Beta Decay
Nuclear & Particle Physics
MeV (Continuous Spectrum)
A radioactive decay process mediated by the weak nuclear force in which a nucleus emits a beta particle (electron or positron) and a neutrino.
β⁻: n → p + e⁻ + ν̄_e; β⁺: p → n + e⁺ + ν_e
Binding Energy per Nucleon
Nuclear & Particle Physics
MeV/nucleon
The average energy required to remove a single proton or neutron from an atomic nucleus, representing relative nuclear stability.
BE / A = Total Binding Energy / Mass Number
Breeder Reactor
Nuclear & Particle Physics
Breeding Ratio (Fissile Output / Input)
A specialized nuclear reactor designed to generate more fissile nuclear fuel than it consumes during operation.
²³⁸₉₂U + ¹₀n → ²³⁹₉₂U → ²³⁹₉₃Np → ²³⁹₉₄Pu (Breeding Ratio > 1)