RADIOACTIVITY.EU.COM

icon THE PHENOMENON

THE PHENOMENON

icon IN DAILY LIFE

IN DAILY LIFE

icon QUESTION OF DOSES

QUESTION OF DOSES

icon AT THE DOCTOR’S

AT THE DOCTOR’S

icon At the laboratory

At the laboratory

icon At the museum

At the museum

icon NUCLEAR ENERGY

NUCLEAR ENERGY

icon RADIOACTIVE WASTE

RADIOACTIVE WASTE

A general public knowledge base dedicated to radioactivity created and maintained by the french physics community

Name given by physicists to the interaction probability of a projectile particle (gamma, neutron, etc …) with a target (atom, nucleus, electron …) leading to a given reaction. For instance, gamma photoelectric and Compton effects cross sections on atoms; in reactor physics, neutron radiative and fission cross section of nuclei on nuclei.

This probability is equivalent to a very small area taking into account the dimensions of atomic or nuclear targets. The unit cross section is the barn (1 barn or b = 10-24 cm2), a surface of the order of a nucleus cross section.

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