AST201H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Nuclear Fusion, Nuclear Fission, Positron

• School: UTSG
• Department: Astronomy & Astrophysics
• Course: AST201H1
• Professor: Marija Stankovic

Document Summary

To get particles to overcome their mutual repulsion, they have to have a lot of energy and be very hot. Need to bind them, bring them close, electromagnetic force (same charge) so will try to repel. Two protons will try to repulse each other. At low speeds, electromagnetic repulsion prevents the collision of nuclei. At high speeds, nuclei come close enough for the strong force to bind them together. Sun"s core is more than 15 million kelvin. Start off with four protons, combine together, what is produced is a new nucleus that has two protons and two neutrons. This fusion reaction is called the proton-proton or the p-p chain. Nuclear fusion- smashing nuclei together to form larger nuclei. Can only happen in the universe, centers of stars. Don"t have enough energy to make this happen on earth. Nuclear fission- breaking nuclei apart to form smaller nuclei.