alpha particle

English

Pronunciation

  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

alpha particle (plural alpha particles)

  2. (physics) A doubly positively charged nucleus of a helium-4 atom (consisting of two protons and two neutrons), emitted as a consequence of radioactivity.
    Alternative form: α-particle
    Hypernyms: helion (broad sense, uncommonly) < ion < particle
    Holonyms: alpha ray, alpha radiation
    Coordinate terms: helion (usual sense, helium-3 ion); beta particle

Derived terms

Translations

See also

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.