A ruby laser emits a 100 MW, 10-ns-long pulse of light with a wavelength of 690 nm. How many chromium atoms undergo stimulated emission to generate this pulse?
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35. Special Relativity
Inertial Reference Frames
Problem 26c
Textbook Question
Identify the unknown isotope in the following decays.

1
Understand the problem: The given reaction involves the decay of a beryllium-7 isotope (\( ^7\text{Be} \)) through electron capture. In this process, an electron (\( \text{e}^- \)) is captured by the nucleus, resulting in the formation of a new isotope (\( \text{X} \)) and the emission of a neutrino (\( \nu \)). The goal is to identify the unknown isotope \( \text{X} \).
Recall the concept of electron capture: During electron capture, a proton in the nucleus combines with an electron to form a neutron. This reduces the atomic number (\( Z \)) of the element by 1, while the mass number (\( A \)) remains unchanged because the total number of nucleons (protons + neutrons) is conserved.
Analyze the given isotope: \( ^7\text{Be} \) has an atomic number \( Z = 4 \) (beryllium) and a mass number \( A = 7 \). After electron capture, the atomic number decreases by 1, so the new atomic number becomes \( Z = 3 \). The mass number remains \( A = 7 \).
Identify the element with \( Z = 3 \): Using the periodic table, the element with atomic number \( Z = 3 \) is lithium (\( \text{Li} \)). Therefore, the unknown isotope \( \text{X} \) is \( ^7\text{Li} \).
Conclude: The reaction can now be written as \( ^7\text{Be} + \text{e}^- \rightarrow ^7\text{Li} + \nu \), where \( ^7\text{Li} \) is the identified isotope.

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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Isotopes
Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. This results in different atomic masses for the isotopes of the same element. Understanding isotopes is crucial in nuclear physics and chemistry, as they can exhibit different stability and decay properties, which are essential for identifying unknown isotopes in decay processes.
Beta Decay
Beta decay is a type of radioactive decay in which a beta particle (an electron or a positron) is emitted from an atomic nucleus. In the case of beta-minus decay, a neutron is transformed into a proton, emitting an electron and an antineutrino. This process is significant for understanding how isotopes transform into other elements or isotopes, which is central to solving the decay equation presented in the question.
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Conservation of Energy and Momentum
In nuclear reactions, the conservation of energy and momentum principles state that the total energy and momentum before the decay must equal the total energy and momentum after the decay. This principle is essential for analyzing decay processes, as it allows us to determine the properties of the unknown isotope by balancing the masses and energies involved in the decay equation.
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