PHYS 2126 Alpha Spectroscopy 5 ASSIGNMENT 1 Plot channel no. vs distance, x, (i.e. micrometer reading . !

!a"ing d# into consideration, $hat is the range in air o% alpha particles emitted &y 2'1Am(

)ig*re 1. Plot o% distance vs. channel no. the do $hich is +mm,-.1mm had &een ta"en into acco*nt. And %rom the graph it $as identi%ied that the range in the air o% the alpha particle is appro/imately '1.61 $hich is the y.intercept o% the general e0*ation.

2 Plot channel no. vs corrected distance, d (ta"ing into acco*nt yo*r d# estimate 1y c*rve %itting, (A polynomial %it may &e re0*ired choose the polynomial degree sensi&ly2 determine an energy cali&ration %or yo*r system. (i.e. convert channel no. to 3nergy *sing the "no$n energy o% the alphas at d4#, and E4# $hen d4range. Plot E vs d.

Figure 2: the distance had been corrected with do of 9.7 !!"#$%!! & as the tren'ine was de('o)ed and e*tra(o'ated to the )$interce(t& we cou'd (redict that the the channe' nu!ber at where the distace +*, is e-ua' to .ero is 2%97./0e1 5. Plot resol*tions vers*s distance %or air. 6ote that the pea" resol*tion gets $orse as the distance travelled thro*gh air, and the 3 val*es increase. 7hy does the pea" resol*tion change(

)ig*re 2. !he pea" resol*tion is changing since Alpha particles are monoergic that is they have only one certain amo*nt o% energy $hen they leave the n*cle*s. Ho$ever, they interact $ith anything they come in contact $ith and th*s their energy is al$ays spread o*t slightly over a small range that is less than the ma/im*m val*e that the alpha particle energy is emitted. )rom the graph, it $as o&served that the resol*tion increase para&olaly $ith the increase o% the distance. And the energy spread o*t slightly as it travelled, so the shape o% the pea" $ill &e 8%latter9, and the resol*tion is given &y the di%%erence &et$een the t$o e/treme val*es o% the independent varia&le at $hich the dependent varia&le is e0*al to hal% o% its ma/im*m val*e. So the resol*tion increased respectively. Ho$ever as it "ept on travelling, the resol*tion decreases d*e to the loss o% energy. ' Plot intensity (total n*m&er o% co*nts *nder pea" vers*s distance %or air. :omment on the relationship &et$een ;ntensity and distance.

)ig*re 5. )rom the %ig*re a&ove, the detected intensity $hich is the n*m&er o% co*nts o% the alpha particles remain at a certain amo*nt in the travelled distance o% #mm *p to '2 mm, ho$ever as it e/ceed '2 mm $hich has &een identi%ied as the range o% the alpha particle, the intensity decrease dramatically. <nli"e the energy o% the alpha particle, the loss o% intensity is tiny d*ring the travelling. Since every single alpha particle have the e0*al amo*nt o% energy to travel in certain distance. So the range o% the alpha particle is act*ally the distance $here the energy o% the alpha particle depletes. 6. Stopping power: the average energy loss of the particle per unit path length, the stopping power depends on the type and energy of the particle and on the properties of the material it passes. Since the production of an ion pair requires a fixed amount of energy. CSDA range : an approximation to the average path length travelled by a charged particle as it slows down to rest, it is calculated in the continuous slowing down approximation. !n this approximation, the rate of energy loss at every point along the trac" is assumed to be the same as the total stopping power.

#igure $ : %his is the CSDA range graph of the alpha particle.

#igure & : %he pro'ected range of alphas is clos to the what ! expected. Since the energy of the the alphas particle is actually the "inetic energy. %he alpha particle will slow down gradually due to the loss of energy and eventually come to the stop.