radiation - What Happens to electrons after Alpha Decay and Nuclear Fission?

Where do the electrons go? In alpha decay do 2 electrons follow the alpha particle and make stable Helium or does the larger daughter nucleus become an anion?

Also what do the electrons do in the mixture of fission and alpha decay? With Beryllium-8 it decays into two alpha particles and 4 lonely electrons or do you get two Helium atoms?If someone could add an entry to Holocron it would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Answer

The electrons freed from the bounds of the fissioned nucleus will follow conservation of momentum and will move according to the kinetic energy they have. What will happen to them will depend on the medium they are in. Their kinetic energy will be too high for them to meet up with the fragments constructively, so there is very low probability the new nuclei will tie up with the freed electrons. The nuclei will pick up electrons from the medium, or remain ions.

Generally the electrons will lose energy by scattering on the fields of the atoms and molecules of the medium until they are captured. If in a neutral gas they may be captured by an atom/molecule and turn it into a negatively charged ion. If in solid , metal particularly they will end up in the conduction band.