Glossary
Isotope - any of two or more forms of a chemical element, having the same number of protons in the nucleus, or the same atomic number, but having different numbers of neutrons in the nucleus, or different atomic weights. There are 275 isotopes of the 81 stable elements, in addition to over 800 radioactive isotopes, and every element has known isotopic forms. Isotopes of a single element possess almost identical properties.
Radioisotope - a radioactive isotope, usually artificially produced: used in physical and biological research, therapeutics, etc.
Radioactivity - the phenomenon, exhibited by and being a property of certain elements, of spontaneously emitting radiation resulting from changes in the nuclei of atoms of the element.
Half-life - the time required for one half the atoms of a given amount of a radioactive substance to disintegrate.
Beta - one of the possible positions of an atom or group in a compound.
Beta decay - a radioactive process in which a beta particle is emitted from the nucleus of an atom, raising the atomic number of the atom by one if the particle is negatively charged, lowering it by one if positively charged.
Deuteron - the nucleus of a deuterium atom, consisting of a proton and a neutron, regarded as a subatomic particle with unit positive charge.
Superconductor - the phenomenon of almost perfect conductivity shown by certain substances at temperatures approaching absolute zero. The recent discovery of materials that are superconductive at temperatures hundreds of degrees above absolute zero raises the possibility of revolutionary developments in the production and transmission of electrical energy.
Cyclotron - an accelerator in which particles are propelled in spiral paths by the use of a constant magnetic field.
Electromagnets - a device consisting of an iron or steel core that is magnetized by electric current in a coil that surrounds it.
Antineutrino- the antiparticle of a neutrino, distinguished from the neutrino by having clockwise rather than counterclockwise spin when observing in the direction of motion.
Neutrino- Any of three electrically neutral subatomic particles in the lepton family.
Postitron- an elementary particle having the same mass and spin as an electron but having a positive charge equal in magnitude to that of the electron's negative charge; the antiparticle of the electron.
*definitions from dictionary.com