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What energy (in MeV) alpha particle has a de Broglie wavelength equal to the diameter of a 238 U nucleus?

Short Answer

Expert verified

From the given data, the de Broglie wavelength of the particle is equal to the diameter of the 238U nucleus.

Therefore the energy of the alpha particle is 0.93 MeV

Step by step solution

01

Step 1

Nuclear radius depends on mass number of nucleus as follows.

R=r0A13

Here, r0 is a constant (r0 =1.2fm) and A is mass number

R =(1.2fm)(238)1/3

=7.43 fm

=7.43x10-15m

Diameter of the 238U nucleus is

D=2R

=14.86X10-15 M

From the given data, the de Broglie wavelength of the ∞ particle is equal to the diameter of the 238U nucleus.

02

Step 2

The de Broglie wavelength of alpha particle is,

λ=hp

Here, h is plank's constant nd p is momentum.

Rewrite this equation for momentum,

p=hλ

A moving αparticle has only kinetic energy the relation between momentum and energy of the particle is,

E=P22mSubstitutehλforpE=hλ22m=h22λ2m

03

Step 3

Convert atomic mass of the αparticle from u to kg

m=6.646x10-27kg

convert the units for energy from j to MeV

E=0.93 MeV

Therefore the energy of the alpha particle is 0.93 MeV

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Alpha decay occurs when an alpha particle tunnels through the Coulomb barrier. FIGURE CP42.63 shows a simple one-dimensional model of the potential-energy well of an alpha particle in a nucleus with A ≈ 235. The 15 fm width of this one-dimensional potential-energy well is the diameter of the nucleus. Further, to keep the model simple, the Coulomb barrier has been modeled as a 20-fm-wide, 30-MeV-high rectangular potential-energy barrier. The goal of this problem is to calculate the half-life of an alpha particle in the energy level E = 5.0 MeV. a. What is the kinetic energy of the alpha particle while inside the nucleus? What is its kinetic energy after it escapes from the nucleus? b. Consider the alpha particle within the nucleus to be a point particle bouncing back and forth with the kinetic energy you found in part a. What is the particle’s collision rate, the number of times per second it collides with a wall of the potential? c. What is the tunneling probability Ptunnel ? d. Ptunnel is the probability that on any one collision with a wall the alpha particle tunnels through instead of reflecting. The probability of not tunneling is 1 - Ptunnel. Hence the probability that the alpha particle is still inside the nucleus after N collisions is 11 - Ptunnel 2N ≈ 1 - NPtunnel , where we’ve used the binomial approximation because Ptunnel V 1. The half-life is the time at which half the nuclei have not yet decayed. Use this to determine (in years) the half-life of the nucleus.

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All the very heavy atoms found in the earth were created long ago by nuclear fusion reactions in a supernova, an exploding star. The debris spewed out by the supernova later coalesced into the gases from which the sun and the planets of our solar system were formed. Nuclear physics suggests that the uranium isotopes 235 U and 238 U should have been created in roughly equal numbers. Today, 99.28% of uranium is 238 U and only 0.72% is 235 U. How long ago did the supernova occur?

Alpha decay occurs when an alpha particle tunnels through the Coulomb barrier. FIGURE CP42.63 shows a simple one-dimensional model of the potential-energy well of an alpha particle in a nucleus with A ≈ 235. The 15 fm width of this one-dimensional potential-energy well is the diameter of the nucleus. Further, to keep the model simple, the Coulomb barrier has been modeled as a 20-fm-wide, 30-MeV-high rectangular potential-energy barrier. The goal of this problem is to calculate the half-life of an alpha particle in the energy level E = 5.0 MeV. a. What is the kinetic energy of the alpha particle while inside the nucleus? What is its kinetic energy after it escapes from the nucleus? b. Consider the alpha particle within the nucleus to be a point particle bouncing back and forth with the kinetic energy you found in part a. What is the particle’s collision rate, the number of times per second it collides with a wall of the potential? c. What is the tunneling probability Ptunnel ?

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