Portal:Radiation astronomy/Resource/12

Beta particles
A number of subatomic reactions can be detected in astronomy that yield beta particles. The detection of beta particles or the reactions that include them in an astronomical situation is beta-particles astronomy.

Beta particles are high-energy, high-speed electrons or positrons.

Beta particles may be the key to fusion. "If the exterior of the capsule is maintained at a uniform temperature of about 19.5 K, the natural beta decay energy of the tritium will accomplish this through a process known as "beta layering." The very low energy beta particles from tritium decay deposit their energy very close to the location of the original tritium atoms."

"Beta-particles leaving the upper surface of the lunar sample could trigger the upper beta detector, while the lower beta-detector was triggered by beta particles from the lower surface of the sample."

Notation: let the symbol β− designate an unbound electron in motion.

Notation: let β+ designate an unbound positron in motion.

Notation: let TGF stand for a Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flash.