Ludlum Measurements 2241-2, Руководство пользователя

Страница: 30 / 93

Model 2241-2RK Technical Manual
Section 6
Ludlum Measurements, Inc. Page 6-4 July 2012
The shorter-lived each kind of radioisotope, the more radiation it emits per
unit mass. Much of the natural radioactivity in rocks and soil comes from
this decay chain.
Ionizing Radiation
Here we are concerned mainly with ionizing radiation from the atomic
nucleus. It occurs in two forms, rays and particles, at the high frequency end
of the energy spectrum.
There are several types of ionizing
radiation:
X-rays and gamma rays
, like light, represent energy transmitted in a
wave without the movement of material, just as heat and light from a
fire or the sun travel through space. X-rays and gamma rays are virtually
identical, except that X-rays are generally produced artificially rather than
coming from the atomic nucleus. Unlike light, X-rays and gamma rays
have great penetrating power and can pass through the human body.
Thick barriers of concrete, lead, or water are used as protection from
them.
Alpha particles
consist of two protons and two neutrons, in the form
of atomic nuclei. They thus have a positive electrical charge and are
emitted from naturally occurring heavy elements such as uranium and
radium, as well as from some man-made elements. Because of