What happens to a nucleus during pure gamma emission?
Answer
It drops from an excited state to its ground state without changing composition
Gamma emission releases leftover energy as high-energy electromagnetic radiation after alpha or beta decay, allowing the daughter nucleus to move from an excited state to its ground state without altering the number of protons or neutrons.
#Videos
Stable and Unstable Nuclei | Radioactivity | Physics | FuseSchool
Related Questions
What is the spontaneous emission of radiation from an unstable atomic nucleus known as?What particles constitute the nucleus and are collectively referred to as nucleons?Which powerful, short-range attractive force binds protons and neutrons together against electrostatic repulsion?What approximate ratio of neutrons to protons is typically required for stability in lighter atomic nuclei?Why do heavier stable nuclei require a higher ratio of neutrons to protons?What process defines the shedding of excess internal energy when an unstable nucleus seeks a lower energy state?In the case of a neutron-rich nucleus, what conversion allows it to lower its neutron count and achieve stability?What happens to a nucleus during pure gamma emission?What characterizes the time parameter $T_{1/2}$ in radioactive samples?What physical principle explains the substantial energy released when a nucleus transitions to a lower energy configuration?What mechanism do very heavy, large nuclei typically use to reduce their size and mass?What is the defining characteristic that makes radioactive decay unpredictable at the level of an individual atom?