There is also ongoing research (opens in new tab) into developing alpha-particle therapy to treat cancer - clinical trials have found some success in treating metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer. Uses of alpha radiationД¬ommercially, alpha radiation is primarily used (opens in new tab) in smoke detectors (smoke reduces the alpha particles in the detector, triggering the alarm) and static eliminators (alpha ionizers). Even a piece of paper is enough to block an alpha particle per the United States Nuclear Regulatory Committee (opens in new tab). They also have extremely low penetrating power -В they cannot penetrate a human's epidermis, or outer layer of skin. Tachyons: Facts about these faster-than-light particlesДespite being highly energetic, alpha particles expend most of that energy immediately after emission, so they do not travel farther than a few inches at most. The double-slit experiment: Is light a wave or a particle? Of the main types of radiation, alpha particles are the heaviest and slowest, with a mass of 4 amu and ejection speeds of approximately 12,400 miles per second (20,000,000 km per second) according to the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (opens in new tab). Alpha radiation charge and penetrating powerДЄlpha radiation has a positive charge of two. Those emissions are radiation -В in the case of alpha decay, alpha particles are emitted from the nuclei of heavy radioactive elements. Unstable radioactive elements called radionuclides emit particles from their nuclei to become more stable, transforming from the original element into a new one. What is alpha decay and how does it happen?ДЄlpha decay is the process by which alpha particles are formed (opens in new tab), according to Britannica. Rutherford then theorized that atoms had a dense nucleus surrounded by orbiting electrons -В the alpha particles went through the space between the electrons and bounced off the nucleus. But Rutherford and his colleagues observed that a few of the alpha particles bounced off the foil in different directions. If that model were true, alpha particles would have passed through the foil in Rutherford's Coulomb experiments.

Thompson's 'plum pudding' atomic model was the dominant theory of atomic structure -В it suggested atoms were perfect spheres of positively charged material in which negative electrons floated about with relatively even distribution. (Image credit: DKN0049 via Getty Images) (opens in new tab)ДЄt the time, J. Here high energy ions are fired at the same and the energy distribution is measured. Rutherford's scattering experiments involved a technique called Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS).

Alpha decay