General Forums > Generic Discussion
Just realized something about my element collection that's pretty sweet.
jdurg:
The thing is, you can't just sit an alpha particle emitter by a target source and expect the alpha particles to be absorbed. The positive charge on the alpha particles and the positive charge of the nucleus means that the alpha particles need to be accelerated to massive speeds in order to overcome the nuclear repulsion. With neutrons, since they are neutral particles there doesn't need to be any "nuclear force" to be overcome. That's why you can just sit a nuetron emitter by a target source and have the target absorb neutrons. With alpha particles, you really need to figure out a way to increase their energy if you are going to get any appreciable nuclear reactions.
Limpet Chicken:
Could a cyclotron be used to accelerate alpha or beta radiation instead of electrons by substituting a radiation source instead of an electron beam in the center?
jdurg:
--- Quote from: Limpet Chicken on July 25, 2004, 06:13:38 PM ---Could a cyclotron be used to accelerate alpha or beta radiation instead of electrons by substituting a radiation source instead of an electron beam in the center?
--- End quote ---
I belive that's what they use at Los Alamos National Laboratories in their nuclear research. I think their particle accelerator is about 6 km in circumference. Definitely not something you can setup in your basement lab. ;D
Limpet Chicken:
One of the first cyclotrons was only an inch in diameter, I just read this today, not powerfull admittedly, but a cyclotron up to about 40 m wouldn't be impossible where I live (or at least near by).
Besides, say if SWIM was to attempt building one, and doing experiments with elements with obscene half lives, would the power, within limits and so long as the new nuclides were forming, actually matter, the cyclotron could merely be left on for XXX amount of time while SWIM patiently waited for results ;D
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