Is α-Decay the Same as Nuclear Fission? Understanding the Difference

[Haynes Kwon]

Is α-decay same as nuclear fission?
What is the difference?

 

[mfb]

Typically it is only called "fission" if the process creates two or three nuclei of similar size, but that is purely a naming convention. Cluster decays are somewhere between alpha decays and fission.

 

[Orodruin]

No, fission is not alpha decay and alpha decay is generally not considered as fission althoughit technically is a splitting of a nucleus in several parts. Generally, fission usually refers to the splitting of a nucleus in such a way that there are at least two products that carry a significant fraction of the original mass.

 

[Haynes Kwon]

Thank you all. May I ask one more?
I don't see why this is not nuclear fusion.

 

[mfb]

Same thing: Just a matter of convention what is called fusion and what is not. I guess you could call that fusion, although $(\alpha, n)$ would be a more conventional notation for the reaction.

 

[Haynes Kwon]

Thank you very much.