A Beginner’s Guide to Ionizing Radiation: Types, Sources, and Applications

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"A Beginner´s Guide To Ionizing Radiation: Types, Sources, And Applications "

Sophia Xu
Updated: November. 10, 2023 

An object can become radioactive in two main ways: by exposure to neutron radiation or by radioactive decay of unstable nuclei.

Neutron radiation is a type of ionizing radiation that consist of free neutrons. Ionizing radiation is a type of radiation that can break atoms or molecules into smaller pieces by knocking off their electrons. 

This makes them electrically charged, which is called ionized. Ionizing radiation can be very fast-moving particles, like alpha, beta, or neutron particles, or very high-energy waves, like gamma rays or X-rays. Some of these come from radioactive materials, like uranium or plutonium, and some come from outer space, like cosmic rays. 

Ionizing radiation can be useful for many things, like making electricity, treating diseases, or studying matter, but it can also be harmful for living things, like humans, animals, or plants. If ionizing radiation hits our cells, it can damage them or make them change in bad ways. 

When neutrons interact with the nuclei of other atoms, they can be captured by them and cause a change in their atomic structure. This process is called neutron activation and it can make the target atom radioactive. For example, when a neutron is captured by a stable iron-56 atom, it becomes a radioactive iron-57 atom that emits gamma rays1.

Radioactive decay is the spontaneous emission of radiation by an unstable atomic nucleus. Some atoms have nuclei that are not stable and tend to lose their excess energy by emitting radiation in the form of alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays, or x-rays. These types of radiation can also make other objects radioactive by ionizing their atoms and causing them to emit radiation as well. For example, when a radioactive iodine-131 atom decays, it emits a beta particle and becomes a stable xenon-131 atom. The beta particle can then ionize another atom and make it radioactive2.

Some objects can become radioactive by both neutron radiation and radioactive decay. For instance, in a nuclear reactor, the fuel rods contain fissile materials such as uranium-235 that can split into smaller nuclei and release neutrons and radiation when they absorb a neutron. This process is called nuclear fission and it can make the fuel rods and other nearby objects radioactive. The radiation emitted by the fission products can also ionize other atoms and make them radioactive2.