alpha decay
- noun
- /ˈæl.fə dɪˈkeɪ/
- Specialized
:
desintegración alfa
- The process of alpha decay involves an unstable atomic nucleus emitting an alpha particle and becoming a new element.
Examples
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So a lot of alpha decays are immediately followed by a chain of gamma decays or what we call ITS or isomeric transitions.
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The 293118 nuclei (labeled CN for compound nucleus) decay in six successive alpha-decay steps down to seaborgium-269.
Academic text (2002) -
So here alpha decays are indicated by this yellow line, and the beta decay is in the blue line here.
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These three neat alpha-decay sequences, so impressive when they were first reported, are now exhibit A against Ninov.
Academic text (2002) -
The reanalysis, undertaken to check consistency with new GSI data, revealed that two alpha-decay chains reported in the original papers were not to be found in the data.
Academic text (2002) -
During alpha decay, uranium-238 transforms into thorium-234 as the alpha particle is emitted.
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In alpha decay, an alpha particle is emitted, lowering the mass number of the original nucleus by four.
Synonyms
Radiation made of heavy particles that radioactive materials send out
Surface Forms
Morphology
alpha + decay
The noun 'decay' clearly signals a process of disintegration, and 'alpha' functions as a classifier specifying the kind of decay, so a learner can infer this is a particular type of decay. However, understanding the precise mechanism (emission of an alpha particle and transmutation to a new element) requires domain-specific physics knowledge beyond B1 vocabulary, making the relation only partially predictable.
Etymology
Alpha decay comes from what the center of a heavy atom does: it throws off a small, heavy piece called an alpha particle. By losing that piece the atom 'decays' and becomes a different element, so the phrase means 'an atom changing by giving off an alpha particle'.
