Find the maximum energy of alpha particles emitted by accelerated beam of Po-210
Not what you're looking for?
The alpha decay of Po-210 to Pb-206 releases approximately 5.4 MeV of energy, of which 5.3 MeV is the kinetic energy of the alpha particle and 0.1 MeV is the recoil energy of Pb-206. Suppose that we have a beam of Po-210 ions with a kinetic energy of 100 TeV incident on a target. Occasionally a Po-210 ion will decay and emit an alpha particle.
What is the maximum kinetic energy of such an alpha particle in the rest frame of the target?
Purchase this Solution
Solution Summary
A detailed solution using Lorentz transforms for energy and momentum is given.
Solution Preview
The beam will consist of fully ionized Po-ions, the mass of 84 times ionized Po-210 is 195.55 GeV. These ions are accelerated such that they obtain a kinetic energy of 100 TeV. This means that the velocity of the ions in the beam, v, is such that the gamma factor is given by:
gamma_v = 1 + 100 TeV/195.55 GeV = 512.37
The speed is very close to c:
|v| = c sqrt(1-1/gamma^2) = approximately c[1 - 1/(2 gamma^2)] = c [1 - 1.9*10^(-6)]
The ...
Purchase this Solution
Free BrainMass Quizzes
The Moon
Test your knowledge of moon phases and movement.
Classical Mechanics
This quiz is designed to test and improve your knowledge on Classical Mechanics.
Basic Physics
This quiz will test your knowledge about basic Physics.
Variables in Science Experiments
How well do you understand variables? Test your knowledge of independent (manipulated), dependent (responding), and controlled variables with this 10 question quiz.
Intro to the Physics Waves
Some short-answer questions involving the basic vocabulary of string, sound, and water waves.