Physics Lesson 20.4.4 - Neutron Capture

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Welcome to our Physics lesson on Neutron Capture, this is the fourth lesson of our suite of physics lessons covering the topic of Nuclear Reactions, you can find links to the other lessons within this tutorial and access additional physics learning resources below this lesson.

Neutron Capture

Neutron capture is another type of nuclear reaction, during which radioactive nuclei are produced. These radioactive nuclei meet three conditions:

1. Atomic Number Z of nuclei involved does not change
2. Atomic Mass A of nuclei involved increases by 1 unit
3. Number of neutrons in the nuclei involved increases by 1 unit

Here are a few examples of neutron capture reactions occurring more frequently:

etc.

As you see, nuclear fission and neutron capture reactions begin in the same way, by absorbing a neutron. The difference between these two processes consists in the fact that while after the merging process in fission the excited nucleus is unstable and eventually it splits in two parts to release the excess of energy, in neutron capture the new nucleus is merely radioactive and it gets rid from the excess of energy by emitting gamma radiation.

You have reached the end of Physics lesson 20.4.4 Neutron Capture. There are 11 lessons in this physics tutorial covering Nuclear Reactions, you can access all the lessons from this tutorial below.

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2. Nuclear Physics Physics tutorial: Nuclear Reactions. Read the Nuclear Reactions physics tutorial and build your physics knowledge of Nuclear Physics
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6. Continuing learning nuclear physics - read our next physics tutorial: Atomic Nucleus and Its Structural Properties

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