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RADIATION
SOURCES
After
reading this section you will be able to do the following:
- Decribe
what a radioisotope is and what it is used for.
- State
why artificially produced radioisotopes are used by industry
instead of naturally occurring radioisotopes.
- Identify
the three principle ways to produce radioisotopes.
As you know, there are a number of
sources of radiation, ranging from naturally occurring radioisotopes
to X-ray machines, and other forms of particle accelerators. In
this section we are going to take a look at the different sources
of gamma radiation commonly used today.
Radioisotopes
Remember from our previous discussion,
that radioisotopes are elements that are atomically unstable and
radioactive. Radioisotopes stabilize by releasing energy and matter.
Natural radioisotopes, which have relatively low radioactive energy,
have been largely replaced by artificially produced radioisotopes.
Artificially produced radioisotopes are widely utilized as sources
of radiation for radiography, gauging, and as tracers for a multitude
of measurements that are not easily made by other methods.
How are radioisotopes
produced?
Present day production of radioisotopes
includes three principle categories, which are (1) neutron activation
(bombardment), (2) fission product separation, and (3) charged
particle bombardment. Nuclear bombardment constitutes the major
method for obtaining industrially important radioisotope materials.
Radioisotopes may exist in any form of matter, with solid materials
comprising the largest group.
To learn more see below!
- Take this link to learn about what
the study of radioactive decay led scientists to believe:
- Take this link to learn about neutron
activation:
- Take these links to learn about
the uses of fission and fusion:
Review:
- Artificially
produced radioisotopes are primarily used by industry because
they can be produced so as to have much more radioactive energy
that natural types.
- The three
ways to produce radioisotopes are neutron activation, fission
product separation, and charged particle bombardment.
- Elements
that are atomically unstable and radioactive are called radioisotopes.
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