Science · X-Factor Notes
Nuclear Physics revision notes for UPPCS Prelims.
High-Yield Revision| Concept | What to remember | Asked in UPPCS |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Fission | A heavy nucleus, upon accepting a neutron, breaks down into two lighter nuclei of comparable masses. This process releases a huge amount of energy. | |
| Energy Release | Fission of 1 gram Uranium releases energy equivalent to exploding about 20 tonnes of Trinitrotoluene (TNT). | |
| Principle of Atom Bomb | The Atom Bomb relies on an uncontrolled chain reaction of nuclear fission in fissile material (Uranium-235 or Plutonium-239). | UPPCS 1994 |
| Fissile Material (Atom Bomb) | The bomb dropped on Nagasaki (1945) used Plutonium as the fissionable material. | U.P. U.D.A./L.D.A. (Pre) 2007 |
| Nuclear Fusion | A process where two light nuclei fuse to form a single, heavier nucleus. This process operates at very high temperature (Thermonuclear reactions). | |
| Source of Sun’s Energy | The Sun produces energy primarily through Nuclear Fusion, where hydrogen atoms fuse into helium. | UPPCS 2000, UPPCS 2009, U.P. U.D.A./L.D.A. (Mains) 2006 |
| Principle of Hydrogen Bomb | Based on uncontrolled fusion reaction, combining isotopes of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) to form helium. | UPPCS 2010, U.P. P.C.S. 2021 |
| Hydrogen Bomb Developer | Edward Teller is known as the "father of the hydrogen bomb". | UPPCS (Mains) 2015 |
| Concept | What to remember | Asked in UPPCS |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Reactor (Atomic Pile) | A plant where a self-sustained controlled chain reaction is maintained to obtain energy at a fixed rate. It is also known as a molecular furnace. | UPPCS 1992 |
| Self-Sustained Chain Reaction | Possible because more neutrons are released in each fission reaction, and fast neutrons are slowed down by a moderator. | |
| Concept | What to remember | Asked in UPPCS |
|---|---|---|
| Abundant Indian Fuel | Thorium is an important nuclear fuel available in abundance in India. | U.P. Lower Sub. 2003 |
| Heavy Water Production | Heavy Water is manufactured in India under the Heavy Water Board (HWB), located in Trombay, Mumbai. | UPPCS (Mains) 2015 |
| Narora Atomic Power Station |
| Concept | What to remember | Asked in UPPCS |
|---|---|---|
| Radioactivity Nature | Radioactivity is a nuclear property (spontaneous emission of alpha, beta, and gamma rays). | U.P. P.C.S. 2021 |
| Radioactivity Discovery | Discovered by Henri Becquerel. | UPPCS (Mains) 2003 |
| Ultimate Decay Product |
| Concept | What to remember | Asked in UPPCS |
|---|---|---|
| Unsuccessful Experiment | Enrico Fermi attempted to prepare a transuranic element in 1934 in Rome but failed to do so; Glenn T. Seaborg played an important role in the synthesis of transuranic elements. | U.P. U.D.A./L.D.A. (Pre) 2002, U.P. P.C.S. 2001, U.P. P.C.S. 2003 |
| Cyclotron | A machine used to accelerate charged particles such as protons, alpha particles, and deuterons to very high speeds. | UPPCS 1997 |
| Semiconductor Materials | Pure |
| Fuel Used |
|---|
| Common nuclear fuels include Uranium-235 (U235), Thorium, and Plutonium. U235 is the isotope used in power plants. |
| Enriched Uranium | Natural uranium in which the radioactive isotope U235 is artificially increased from its natural proportion (around 0.7%). | UPPCS 2009 |
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| Moderator Function | Used to reduce the speed of neutrons in the nuclear reaction. |
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| Moderator Materials | Heavy water (D2O), ordinary water (H2O), and Graphite are commonly used as moderators. | UPPCS 2011, UPPCS (Mains) 2011, UPPCS (Mains) 2015 |
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| Control Rod Material | Cadmium rods are used as a neutron absorber in nuclear reactor control rods. |
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| Breeder Reactor | A reactor that produces more fissile material than it burns. | UPPCS (Mains) 2009 |
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| UPPCS (GIC) 2010, UPPCS (Mains) 2010 |
| Kalpakkam (MAPS) | Located in Tamil Nadu. It is India's first fully indigenously constructed nuclear power station. Home to the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR). | UPPCS (GIC) 2010, U.P. U.D.A./L.D.A. (Pre) 2001, U.P. Lower Sub. 2002 |
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| Coolant (FBTR, Kalpakkam) | The Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Kalpakkam uses Liquid Sodium as a coolant. | UPPCS 1997, U.P. Lower (Spl.) (Pre) 2008, UPPCS (Mains) 2010 |
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| Research Reactors | Dhruva, Purnima, and Cirus are names of Indian research reactors. | UPPCS (Mains) 2004 |
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| Highest Installed Capacity | Kudankulam has the highest total installed capacity (2000 MWe) among Indian nuclear power stations. | UPPCS (Mains) 2014 |
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| U.P. P.C.S. (Pre) 2013 |
| Radioisotope for Tumours | Arsenic-74 tracer is used to detect the presence of tumours. | U.P. Lower Sub. (Spl) (Pre) 2010, U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 2013, UPPCS (Mains) 2003 |
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| Radioisotope for Blood Cancer | Phosphorus-32 and Cobalt-60 are radioisotopes used to control blood cancer (leukaemia). | UPPCS (Mains) 2012, U.P. P.C.S. 2016 |
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| Radioisotope for Blood Flow | Radio-Sodium (Na24) is used to measure the speed of blood flow in the human body. | UPPCS (Mains) 2012, U.P. P.C.S. 2001, U.P. U.D.A./L.D.A. (Pre) 2002 |
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| Radioisotope for Thyroid | Iodine-131 tracer is used to study the activity of the thyroid gland. | U.P. Lower Sub. (Spl) (Pre) 2003, UPPCS 2003 |
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| RTGs in Space | Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) are used for powering the onboard systems of spacecraft. They use heat from the natural radioactive decay of Plutonium-238. |
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| UPPCS (Mains) 2005, U.P. P.C.S. 2018 |
| Scintillation Counter | Can be used to confirm whether drinking water contains a gamma emitting isotope. |
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| Quark | Quark is considered a fundamental particle (not composed of other particles). | U.P. R.O./A.R.O. (Mains) 2017 |
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| God Particle | Higgs Boson is also known as the God Particle and helps understand why elementary particles have mass. | U.P. P.C.S. 2017 |
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