Alpha & Heavy Ions alpha_range_calc
Alpha Particle Range & Bragg-Kleeman Stopping
Calculates monoenergetic alpha particle penetration distance in standard air and converts it to soft tissue depth to assess whether alphas penetrate the 70 µm epidermal stratum corneum.
R_air = 0.318 × E^(1.5); R_m = R_air × (ρ_air / ρ_m) × √(A_m / A_air)
RADCALC HEALTH PHYSICS & NUCLEAR ENGINEERING WORKSHEET
Alpha Particle Range & Bragg-Kleeman Stopping (Alpha Range)
Domain: Alpha Particle Dosimetry & Recoil · Tool ID:
alpha_range_calc · Engine: 100% Local Browser WASM R_air = 0.318 × E^(1.5); R_m = R_air × (ρ_air / ρ_m) × √(A_m / A_air)
Operational Notes:
Guided Stepper Workflow All Input Parameters & Solver
1
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Select your target output variable. The stepper will guide you through only the required inputs.
2
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Pre-fill realistic health physics values, then refine individual parameters or jump straight to the result.
All Parameters Entered
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Solved Output Live WASM Readout
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Entered Input Parameters (Tap any row to edit)
Calculated Result & Visual Analysis
Nominal Solved Value Updated automatically
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Enter parameters on the left to calculate.
CLIENT-SIDE 3D SIMULATION Alpha Particle Range & Bragg-Kleeman Stopping 3D Transport Field
Interactive 3D Geometry & Particle Transport
WebGPU / WebGL2 Ready
3D Hardware Acceleration & Browser Compatibility Status Inspect Requirements ↓
Checking Browser 3D Capabilities… Probing WebGPU adapter, WebGL 2.0, and WebGL 1.0 contexts locally.
Geometry & Field Diagram
Interactive Model
Sensitivity Curve
Normalized Base-Unit & WebMCP Tool Payload alpha_range_calc
1. Input & Solved Parameter Ledger
| Role | Symbol | Parameter Name | Entered / Display Value | Normalized Base Unit | Definition |
|---|
2. Charged-Particle Stopping & Shallow Dose Hp(0.07)
Governing Equation & Parameters
Air Range (cm) = 0.56 × E (E < 4 MeV) or 0.318 × E^1.5 (E ≥ 4 MeV); Bragg-Kleeman Tissue Scaling (µm)
| Symbol | Parameter | Default Unit | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| E_α | Alpha Kinetic Energy | mev | Alpha particle initial emission energy in Mega-electronvolts. |
| R_air | Range in Standard Air | cm | Calculated alpha penetration distance in standard air at 15°C and 1 atm. |
| R_m | Range in Absorber Medium | cm | Alpha penetration depth in medium calculated via Bragg-Kleeman rule in cm. |
| ρ_m | Medium Density | g/cm3 | Density of the absorbing material in g/cm³ (soft tissue = 1.0 g/cm³). |
| A_m | Effective Atomic Weight | amu | Effective atomic mass number of medium in atomic mass units (tissue ≈ 12.8 amu). |
Health Physics Notes & Related Calculators
Operational Guidance & Physics Assumptions
- Alpha particles lose energy via heavy Coulomb interactions, exhibiting high Linear Energy Transfer (LET) that peaks sharply at the Bragg peak.
- Because typical alpha ranges in tissue are 30–80 µm, external alpha emitters are usually stopped by the ~70 µm dead skin stratum corneum, posing primarily an internal hazard.
- Bragg-Kleeman scaling uses air density 0.001205 g/cm³ and effective atomic mass A_air = 14.6 amu.
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