![]() However, it is important to note that these equations say nothing about the length of time that it takes for any given unstable nucleus to decay. Beta Decay EquationĮach of the subtypes of beta decay – beta-plus and beta-minus decay – have clear equations. It was from this relationship that the famous mass-energy equivalence equation, E = mc 2, was developed. When matter collides with antimatter, both types of matter are annihilated, and their mass is converted into pure energy. Neutrinos, subatomic particles, like protons and electrons, that don’t carry any electrical charge and have nearly zero mass, also have an antimatter counterpart in antineutrinos. Consequently, the model of an atom containing antimatter has an antineutron and antiproton nucleus that is orbited by the “antielectron”, or positron. Antimatter contains all of the properties of ordinary matter with opposite charge. AntimatterĪntimatter is a key concept when discussing the radioactive decay, but especially important for beta decay. That excess energy is released in the form of gamma rays, a high-energy form of electromagnetic radiation. Gamma decay, on the other hand, is the result of both alpha and beta decay, since the atomic nucleus contains extra energy after going through such a transformative change. In alpha decay, alpha particles are emitted, which is composed of two neutrons and two protons, which, in simple terms, is the element helium. All three of these kinds of decay are due to the instability of the atomic nucleus, but the kinds of radiation emitted are completely different. Radioactivityīeta decay is one of three kinds of radioactive decay – the others being alpha and gamma decay. When scientists recognized that isotopes were releasing the same amount of energy each time during their decay, but electrons were being detected with different energy levels, they recognized that there had to be another fundamental particle that balanced the Law of Conservation of Energy, leading to the neutrino. The concept of neutrinos, subatomic particles, like protons and electrons, that don’t carry any electrical charge and have nearly zero mass, was first discovered due to experimentation of beta decay. Specifically, in the case of a beta-plus decay, the atomic number of a given atom decreases, while, in the case of a beta-minus decay, the atomic number increases. The effect of this change, however, guarantees that the atom’s properties change. These changes in the atomic nucleus may cause the loss of a proton or neutron, however, the total amount of nuclear particles, given by the mass number, remains the same. The beta-minus decay process is the exact opposite a neutron turns into a proton, causing the creation of an electron and an antineutrino. In a beta-plus decay process, a proton turns into a neutron, causing the creation of a positron and a neutrino. There are two forms of beta decay – beta-plus and beta-minus decay – which determine what beta particles are emitted from the atomic nucleus (which, naturally, contains either a proton or a neutron). This process usually occurs due to instability within an atom and results in the process of transmutation, or the transformation of one element into another, in order to regain stability. Beta decay is the natural radioactive decay within an atom in which beta particles, which include high-energy electrons or positrons – the electron’s antimatter counterpart – are emitted from the atom’s nucleus. ![]()
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