Lecture

Origin of the Nuclides

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In course

PHYS-450: Radiation biology, protection and applications

This is an introductory course in radiation physics that aims at providing students with a foundation in radiation protection and with information about the main applications of radioactive sources/substances in the industry. The course includes presentati ...

Description

This lecture explores the origin of radionuclides in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere, which are remnants from supernova explosions. Topics include nuclear astrophysics, cosmic element formation, stellar energy production, and the evolution of the Milky Way. The lecture delves into the Big Bang, nucleosynthesis processes, and the evolution of stars, explaining the formation of elements and the abundance of isotopes. It also covers the evolution of the Earth, the role of radionuclides in the environment, and the impact of cosmic radiation. The presentation concludes with a discussion on the atomic abundances in the solar system and the significance of radionuclides in nature.

Instructors (2)

Pavel Frajtag

Oskari Ville Pakari

Education PhD | Physics 2016 – 2020 EPFL MSc | Nuclear Engineering 2014 – 2016 ETHZ BSc | Physics 2011 – 2014 KIT Teaching & PhD PhD Students Michel Saliba Courses Radiation and reactor experiments PHYS-451 The reactor experiments course aims to introduce the students to radiation detection techniques and nuclear reactor experiments. The core of the course is the unique opportunity to conduct reactor experiments with the EPFL react

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Physics

Nuclear physics: Topics in nuclear physics

Astronomy

Astrophysics: Stellar astronomy, Physical cosmology

Related concepts (32)

Nuclide

A nuclide (or nucleide, from nucleus, also known as nuclear species) is a class of atoms characterized by their number of protons, Z, their number of neutrons, N, and their nuclear energy state. The word nuclide was coined by Truman P. Kohman in 1947. Kohman defined nuclide as a "species of atom characterized by the constitution of its nucleus" containing a certain number of neutrons and protons. The term thus originally focused on the nucleus.

Stable nuclide

Stable nuclides are nuclides that are not radioactive and so (unlike radionuclides) do not spontaneously undergo radioactive decay. When such nuclides are referred to in relation to specific elements, they are usually termed stable isotopes. The 80 elements with one or more stable isotopes comprise a total of 251 nuclides that have not been known to decay using current equipment (see list at the end of this article). Of these 80 elements, 26 have only one stable isotope; they are thus termed monoisotopic.

Cosmic ray

Cosmic rays are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar System in our own galaxy, and from distant galaxies. Upon impact with Earth's atmosphere, cosmic rays produce showers of secondary particles, some of which reach the surface, although the bulk is deflected off into space by the magnetosphere or the heliosphere.

Table of nuclides

A table or chart of nuclides is a two-dimensional graph of isotopes of the elements, in which one axis represents the number of neutrons (symbol N) and the other represents the number of protons (atomic number, symbol Z) in the atomic nucleus. Each point plotted on the graph thus represents a nuclide of a known or hypothetical chemical element. This system of ordering nuclides can offer a greater insight into the characteristics of isotopes than the better-known periodic table, which shows only elements and not their isotopes.

Cosmogenic nuclide

Cosmogenic nuclides (or cosmogenic isotopes) are rare nuclides (isotopes) created when a high-energy cosmic ray interacts with the nucleus of an in situ Solar System atom, causing nucleons (protons and neutrons) to be expelled from the atom (see cosmic ray spallation). These nuclides are produced within Earth materials such as rocks or soil, in Earth's atmosphere, and in extraterrestrial items such as meteoroids. By measuring cosmogenic nuclides, scientists are able to gain insight into a range of geological and astronomical processes.

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