Excitation function ( yield curve) is a term used in

nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies th ...

to describe a graphical plot of the yield of a radionuclide or reaction channel as a function of the bombarding projectile energy or the calculated excitation energy of the

compound nucleus In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, a nuclear reaction is a process in which two nuclei, or a nucleus and an external subatomic particle, collide to produce one or more new nuclides. Thus, a nuclear reaction must cause a transformation o ...

. The yield is the measured intensity of a particular transition. The excitation function typically resembles a Gaussian

bell curve In probability theory and statistics, a normal distribution or Gaussian distribution is a type of continuous probability distribution for a real-valued random variable. The general form of its probability density function is f(x) = \frac e^\ ...

and is mathematically described by a Breit–Wigner function, owing to the

resonant Resonance is a phenomenon that occurs when an object or system is subjected to an external force or vibration whose frequency matches a resonant frequency (or resonance frequency) of the system, defined as a frequency that generates a maximu ...

nature of the production of the compound nucleus. The energy value at the maximum yield on the excitation curve corresponds to the energy of the resonance. The energy interval between 25% and 75% of the maximum yield on the excitation curve are equivalent to the resonance width. A

nuclear reaction In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, a nuclear reaction is a process in which two atomic nucleus, nuclei, or a nucleus and an external subatomic particle, collide to produce one or more new nuclides. Thus, a nuclear reaction must cause a t ...

should be described by a complete study of the exit channel (1n,2n,3n etc.) excitation functions in order to allow a determination of the optimum energy to be used to maximize the yield.

References

Nuclear physics {{Nuclear-stub

See also

References