Nuclear & Particle Physics
60 terms · page 1 of 3
Alpha Decay
A radioactive decay process in which an unstable heavy nucleus emits an alpha particle (Helium-4 nucleus, ⁴₂He²⁺).
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsAntimatter
Subatomic material composed of antiparticles that share identical mass, spin, and lifetime as normal matter particles but possess opposite…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsAtomic Nucleus
The extremely dense, positively charged central core of an atom containing virtually all of its mass, composed of protons and neutrons…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsBaryons
Subatomic composite hadrons made of three valence quarks held together by gluons, possessing half-integer spin (fermions).
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsBeta Decay
A radioactive decay process mediated by the weak nuclear force in which a nucleus emits a beta particle (electron or positron) and a…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsBinding Energy per Nucleon
The average energy required to remove a single proton or neutron from an atomic nucleus, representing relative nuclear stability.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsBreeder Reactor
A specialized nuclear reactor designed to generate more fissile nuclear fuel than it consumes during operation.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsCherenkov Radiation
The characteristic blue optical shockwave radiation emitted when a charged particle travels through a dielectric medium faster than the…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsCloud Chamber
A historic particle detector consisting of a sealed chamber containing supersaturated vapor where passing ionizing radiation forms visible…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsControl Rods
Movable rods composed of high-neutron-capture elements (like cadmium, boron, or hafnium) inserted into a nuclear reactor core to regulate…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsCosmic Rays
High-energy relativistic atomic nuclei and subatomic particles originating from outer space that strike Earth's atmosphere.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsCoupling Constant
A dimensionless number quantifying the relative interaction strength between particles or fields in a fundamental force interaction.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsCritical Mass
The minimum mass of fissile material required to sustain a continuous self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsCyclotron (Particle Physics)
A circular particle accelerator using a perpendicular magnetic field to bend charged particles into spiral paths while high-frequency AC…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsDecay Constant
The probability per unit time that an individual radioactive nucleus will undergo spontaneous nuclear decay.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsEnriched Uranium
Uranium in which the relative concentration of the fissile isotope Uranium-235 has been increased above its natural abundance (~0.72%).
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsFeynman Diagram
Visual pictorial representations of mathematical expressions describing the quantum interaction and scattering behavior of subatomic…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsGamma Decay
A radioactive decay process where an excited atomic nucleus transitions to a lower energy state by emitting a high-energy gamma-ray photon.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsGeiger-Müller Counter
A gas-filled radiation detection instrument that measures ionizing radiation by detecting current pulses produced by Townsend avalanches in…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsGluons
Massless elementary gauge bosons that mediate the strong nuclear force between quarks in quantum chromodynamics (QCD).
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsHadrons
Subatomic composite particles made of quarks and gluons held together by the strong nuclear force.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsHalf-Life
The time required for half the radioactive nuclei in a given sample to undergo spontaneous radioactive decay.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsHiggs Boson
An elementary scalar boson associated with the Higgs field that endows fundamental particles with rest mass via electroweak symmetry…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsIsobars
Nuclides of different chemical elements that share the exact same mass number A (total number of nucleons) while having different atomic…