Re: how are alpha, beta and gamma rays affected by magnetic fields?

Shafrana,

Any particle with electric charge will have its trajectory bent in a circular arc when passing through a magnetic field. The bending radius of this trajectory for a given field strength will be smaller (i.e. a sharper turn) for particles with a greater charge, or for a higher magnetic field. The bending radius becomes larger for particles with greater momentum (mass times velocity).

Alpha particles consist of two protons and two neutrons, giving them a charge of +2. They are relatively massive particles, which gives them a high momentum coming out of nuclear decays. So their paths are bent in a magnetic field (because of their charge), but not very much (because of the large momentum)

Beta particles are electrons which have an electric charge of -1 (or their antimatter equivalents, positrons with charge +1). They are very light -just a little over 1/8000 of the alpha mass - and their momentum is generally smaller than the alpha when produced in nuclear decays. So beta trajectories are generally bent significantly more than alpha ones in a given magnetic field. Of course, these are generalizations; alpha and beta particles can be produced with a wide range of energies and momenta.

Gamma rays are high-energy photons of light, which have zero electric charge. So they are not affected by magnetic fields.

I hope this helps.

Sam Silverstein