The rest mass of a deuteron is equivalent to an energy of `1876 MeV`, that of a proton to `939 MeV`, and that of a neutron to` 940 MeV. A deutron may disintegrate to a proton and neutron if

Options

A. emits an X -ray photon of energy 2 MeV
B. captures an X - ray photon of energy 2 MeV
C. emits an X -ray photon of energy 3 Me V
D. captures an X - ray photon of energy 3 Me V

Answer

D

Explanation

Disintegration of deuteron to a proton and a neutron can be represented by
`""_(1) ^(2) H + Q ""_(1) ^(1) H + ""_(0)^(1) n`
The energy captured is the `gamma` -ray photon `E_(gamma)` is given by `E_(gamma)` = 1876 = 939 + 940
`implies E_(gamma) = (939 + 940) - 1876 = 3 MeV`