Re: Alpha Decay Question

[Bernard L Cohen <blc+@PITT.EDU>]

On Fri, 16 Mar 2001, Dan Hoffman wrote:



> A question was posed to me by an RCT student and I did not have a good

> answer for him.  The question was "What happens to the two excess electrons

> following an alpha decay?"  I never really thought about it but assume the

> two electrons migrate into the surrounding media until they "find a home" .

> Is there a better answer I should provide?  Any thoughts would be

> appreciated.



        Basically, your answer is right. Actually, when the alpha particle

is emitted, several electrons are knocked loose. Wandering electrons have

many homes to find, or they can stay in the bulk material for a long time

as free electrons. Excesses or deficiencies of electrons in a material are

common, as you see when you draw a spark after walking across a rug. When

a sizable excess or deficiency develops, a spark develops or there is

leakage into the surrounding air due to moisture. How large these excesses

or deficiencies become, depends on the moisture content of the air or the

length of path available for a spark.



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