Abstract
IN a paper shortly to be published in The Philosophical Magazine, one of us has shown that when the α rays from radium C impinge upon matter, they excite a small but detectable amount of γ radiation. In continuation of this work a systematic investigation of the radiations from bodies which expel α rays has been commenced. So far the radiations from ionium, radio-thorium, and radio-actinium have been investigated. Working with a very strong source of ionium, we find that, after all radio-active products likely to emit β or γ rays have been removed by chemical treatment, ionium emits, in addition to its α rays, a certain amount of γ radiation, but no detectable amount of β radiation. The amount of γ radiation compared with the total α radiation is much smaller than that emitted by a typical γ ray product like radium C. The amount, however, is of about the same order as that excited by the α rays of radium C in external matter. Since there is no evidence of the existence of a product accompanying the ionium and emitting γ rays only, it is natural to suppose that these γ rays are excited either in the ionium, or in the thorium which is mixed with it, by the α rays.
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CHADWICK, J., RUSSELL, A. Excitation of γ Rays by α Rays. . Nature 90, 463 (1912). https://doi.org/10.1038/090463a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/090463a0
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