Why is alpha decay so common?

An alpha particle is identical to the nucleus of a helium-4 atom, which consists of two protons and two neutrons. It is the most common form because of the combined extremely high nuclear binding energy and a relatively small mass of the alpha particle.

Why do we have decay with alpha emission but not proton emission?

About 25 isotopes are proton emitters, essentially excited nuclei (beta-delayed). But heavy nuclei are neutron rich in general so the tunneling probability favors alpha emission, spontaneous fission, and cluster emission over simple proton or neutron emission.

Why are alpha particle emitters the most damaging?

Even though alpha particles are very energetic, they are so heavy that they use up their energy over short distances and are unable to travel very far from the atom. The way these large, heavy particles cause damage makes them more dangerous than other types of radiation.

Why are large nuclei more prone to radioactive decay?

Electron capture A nucleus with one less proton and the same number of nucleons is produced. When a nucleus has a low neutron to proton ratio, either electron capture or positron emission can occur. Larger nuclei are more likely to undergo electron capture than are smaller nuclei.

What is disintegration energy of alpha decay?

alpha decay, type of radioactive disintegration in which some unstable atomic nuclei dissipate excess energy by spontaneously ejecting an alpha particle. They have ranges in air of only a few centimetres (corresponding to an energy range of about 4 million to 10 million electron volts).

Why do nuclides decay?

Nuclides with atomic numbers of 90 or more undergo a form of radioactive decay known as spontaneous fission in which the parent nucleus splits into a pair of smaller nuclei. The reaction is usually accompanied by the ejection of one or more neutrons.

Why does energy of alpha particles emitted in a decay process have line spectrum and energy of beta particles have continuous distribution?

Emitted beta particles have a continuous kinetic energy spectrum. The continuous energy spectrum occurs because Q is shared between the electron and the antineutrino. A typical Q is around 1 MeV, but it can range from a few keV to a few tens of MeV.

Why are heavy nuclei more unstable?

Heavy nuclie are unstable due to large repulsive forces between large number of protons in the nucleus.