Introduction To Radiation Science

Introduction to radiation
science
Taiba Suleman
Composition of matter
 All physical things are composed of matter
that is inert but occupies space and can occur
as a gas, a solid or a liquid.
 All matter consists of substance composed of
elements or compounds. Elements consist of

only one material / species; where as
compounds consist of at least two different
elements.
Atoms
Atoms are the fundamental units of any
element.
 The substances we call elements are composed of
atoms.
 Atoms are composed of the nucleus and orbiting
electrons. The nucleus is composed of many sub
atomic particles but we are only concerned with
protons (positively charged nucleons) and neutrons
(no charge); collectively called nucleons and
electrons in a cloud of orbits around the nucleus.
Nuclide is the general term referring to any nucleus
along with its orbital electrons. The nuclide is
characterized by the composition of its nucleus and
hence by the number of protons and neutrons in
the nucleus.
 Atomic number Z
Number of protons and number of electrons
In an atom.
 Atomic mass number A
Number of nucleons (Z + N) in an atom,

where
• Z is the number of protons (atomic number)
in an atom.
• N is the number of neutrons in an atom.
When the number of protons equals the number of electrons
that atom is known to be in a stable or neutral state.
The electrons in the orbit are maintained by
electrostatic force and centrifugal force.
Binding energy
 The amount of energy required to remove an
electron from a given shell is known as the
binding energy and is specific for each shell
of each atom.
 Electrons in the K shell have the greatest
amount of binding energy because they are

closest to the nucleus.
Isotopes
 All atoms of an element have the same

number of protons but may have different
numbers of neutrons.
 Atoms with different atomic mass but the
same atomic numbers are referred to as

isotopes of an element.
Isotopes
A few naturally occurring
Most of the isotopes
isotopes and all of the
which occur naturally
manmade isotopes are
are stable.
unstable.
Unstable isotopes can become

stable by releasing different
types of particles.
Isotopes of hydrogen
Isotopes of carbon
Radioisotopes/radioactive isotopes
 Isotopes that are not stable and emit

radiation are called radioisotopes.
 A radioisotope is an isotope of an element
that undergoes spontaneous decay and emits

radiation as it decays. During the decay
process, it becomes less radioactive over
time, eventually becoming stable.
is the spontaneous
What is degradation of nucleus &
radioactivity? transmission of one
element to another with
consequent emission of
rays ( or ) particles.
How do
radioisotopes
occur?
Naturally as in radium-226, Carbon-12
altering the atoms by using a nuclear

Artificially
reactor or a cyclotron
Half life
 The time it takes for a radioisotope to decay to
half of its starting activity is called the radiological
halflife, which is denoted by the symbol t½. Each
radioisotope has a unique half-life, and it can
range from a fraction of a second to billions of
years. For example, iodine-131 has an eight-day
half-life, whereas plutonium-239 has a half-life of
24,000 years. A radioisotope with a short half-life
is more radioactive than a radioisotope with a long
half-life, and therefore will give off more radiation
during a given time period.
Radioactivity
 Radioactivity is the process whereby unstable
atomic nuclei release energetic subatomic
particles.
 First discovered in 1896 by the French
scientist Henri Becquerel, after whom the SI

unit for radiation, the Becquerel, is named.
 There are three types of radioactive decay
Alpha decay
Beta decay
Gamma decay
Radiation
 Radiation is energy in the form of waves of
particles.
 There are two forms of radiation
• Non-ionizing
• Ionizing
Non-ionizing radiation
 Non-ionizing radiation has less energy than
ionizing radiation; it does not possess
enough energy to produce ions. Examples of
non-ionizing radiation are visible light,
infrared, radio waves, microwaves, and
sunlight.
 Global positioning systems, cellular
telephones, television stations, FM and AM
radio, baby monitors, cordless phones,
garage-door openers, and ham radios use
non-ionizing radiation. Other forms include
the earth’s magnetic field, as well as magnetic
field exposure from proximity to transmission
lines, household wiring and electric
appliances. These are defined as extremely
low-frequency (ELF) waves and are not
considered to pose a health risk
Ionizing radiation
 Ionizing radiation is capable of knocking
electrons out of their orbits around atoms,
upsetting the electron/proton balance and
giving the atom a positive charge. Electrically
charged molecules and atoms are called ions.
Ionizing radiation includes the radiation that
comes from both natural and man-made
radioactive materials.

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Introduction to radiation

elements or compounds. Elements consist of

Number of nucleons (Z + N) in an atom,

amount of binding energy because they are

 All atoms of an element have the same

same atomic numbers are referred to as

Unstable isotopes can become

 Isotopes that are not stable and emit

that undergoes spontaneous decay and emits

Naturally as in radium-226, Carbon-12

altering the atoms by using a nuclear

scientist Henri Becquerel, after whom the SI

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