alpha radiation
- noun
- /ˈælfə ˌreɪdiˈeɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
radiación alfa
- alpha radiation emitted
Examples
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And then you get these K alpha radiation, which then probes your sample.
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It is generally recognized that even at low doses of alpha radiation, most DNA damage is not effectively repaired (5, 6).
Academic text (1993) -
alpha radiation emitted by polonium-210 can cause severe health issues if inhaled or ingested.
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In scientific research, detecting alpha radiation helps monitor the safety of radioactive materials.
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alpha radiation is produced during the decay of heavy elements like uranium and radium.
Synonyms
A stream of tiny particles given off by some radioactive materials
Surface Forms
Morphology
alpha + radiation
The noun is compositionally built from 'alpha' modifying 'radiation' (radiation = emitted energy), so if a learner knows 'alpha' refers to alpha particles they can derive the meaning as radiation made of alpha particles. However, 'alpha' is a technical/scientific term (often only known as a Greek letter by B1 learners), so the specific particle sense is not fully predictable without domain knowledge, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Alpha radiation comes from early scientists who called the first kind of rays 'alpha' and used radiation to mean 'rays sent out'. That's why the name refers to the strong rays that do not travel far and can be stopped by simple barriers like paper.
