Radiation Protection Dosimetry 68:11-23 (1996)
© 1996 Oxford University Press
Understanding Radioactivity
Becquerel's discovery of radioactivity, and the subsequent experiments which established nuclear physics, are reviewed briefly. The reasons for radioactive decay are discussed in terms of mass-energy conservation, and this leads to discussion of how radioactive decay defines the limits of existence of atomic nuclei. The many applications of nuclear physics based on accelerators are constrained severely by having to use stable or long lived nuclear species. The stable nuclei constitute a small fraction of the (7000 nuclides stable against proton - or neutron - emission in their ground states. It has now become possible to build accelerators which will provide beams of radioactive ions with a wide range of Z and N and sufficient energy to induce nuclear reactions. Potential applications of radioactive ion beams are discussed. There is promise of many exciting new applications to be calibrated at the second centenary of Becquerel's discovery.