Why is Proton Radiation this Rare in Nuclear Fission Decay?

[consuli]

The atomic nuclei consist out electrons, protons and neutrons (with only exception of hydrogen, that does have a neutron).

Thus, it would be straightforward, that there existed a corresponding radiation for each nucleus component, when a nucleus decays.

There is an electron radiation (beta radiation).

There is a neutron radiation.

But proton radiation is very rare. Instead there is usually alpha radiation in nuclear fission decay, which is an accelerated helium ion.

On the other hand, the element hydrogen (one proton + one electron) is much more common than helium. Thus, a single proton nucleus cannot be too unstable.

What is the quantum-mechanic explanation for there is helium-ion radiation (alpha radiation) instead of proton radiation, when a nucleus gets fissioned?

 

[mfb]

Both proton and neutron emission from a single nucleus are rare, usually these nuclei do beta decays.
Fission releases neutrons as heavier nuclei are more neutron-rich than the stable or long-living isotopes of the fission products.

Alpha particles are quite tightly bound for a light nucleus, their emission is favorable in terms of energy. Often nuclei can emit an alpha particle but not a proton or a neutron.

 

[metastable]

What is the quantum-mechanic explanation for there is helium-ion radiation (alpha radiation) instead of proton radiation, when a nucleus gets fissioned?

Alpha particles are quite tightly bound for a light nucleus, their emission is favorable in terms of energy.

Would you say this graph is a good visualization for the alpha emission being "favorable in terms of energy?" According to the graph the alpha/helium-4 nuclei has less mass per nuclear particle than the proton.

 

[mfb]

Yes.
The emission of larger nuclei like carbon can release even more energy but it is less likely that so many nucleons leave at the same time. It is called cluster decay and a very rare phenomenon.

 

[Vanadium 50]

What is the quantum-mechanic explanation for there is helium-ion radiation (alpha radiation) instead of proton radiation, when a nucleus gets fissioned?

Mfb is right. You need to think about energetics. Typical binding energies are 8 MeV/nucleon. For proton decay to be energetically favorable, that means there neds to be nucleus one proton away that is bound by more than than that. An alpha, however, is already bound by 7 MeV per nucleon. So you only need to find a nucleus 2 protons and 2 neutrons away bound by 4 MeV more. ( [8 MeV - 7 MeV] * 4 nucleons)

 

[consuli]

To get this straight. Because a proton (hydrogen-ion) does contain too much nuclear energy, a less energized helium-ion is released instead, right?

Does that also imply, I could study alpha-decay for the reason how to easierst start a nuclear fusion process of hydrogen-ion (deuterium-ion) ? Spoken otherwise, would liganding hydrogen (deuterium) to an atomic mass number heavy metal effectively be the easierst way to produce a hydrogen (deuterium) fusion to helium (ion)?

 

[Vanadium 50]

It's a statement about the energy difference between the parent and daughter nuclei.

I don't know what "liganding" is in this context.

 

[consuli]

Some (chemistry) scientists also consider palladium-hydride a ligand-binding.

 

[PeterDonis]

The atomic nuclei consist out electrons, protons and neutrons

No, it consists of protons and neutrons (except the hydrogen-1 nucleus which is just a protons). The fact that some nuclei can emit electrons in beta decay does not mean the electrons are constituent particles of nuclei.

 

[mfb]

Does that also imply, I could study alpha-decay for the reason how to easierst start a nuclear fusion process of hydrogen-ion (deuterium-ion) ? Spoken otherwise, would liganding hydrogen (deuterium) to an atomic mass number heavy metal effectively be the easierst way to produce a hydrogen (deuterium) fusion to helium (ion)?

No. Why should something fuse with something else just because some heavy atom is nearby?