On the modification of methods of nuclear chronometry in astrophysics and geophysics

• Authors: Vladislav Olkhovsky , Marina Dolinska
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

In practically all known methods of nuclear chronometry until now, research has usually taken into account the life-times of only the fundamental states of α-radioactive nuclei. But in the processes of nuclear synthesis in stars and under the influence of constant cosmic radiation on the surfaces of planets the excitations of the α-radioactive nuclei are still ongoing. Between these processes there are states with excited α-particles inside the parent nuclei leading to much smaller life-times. And inside the large masses of stellar, terrestrial and meteoric substances there are transitions between different internal conditions of radioactive nuclei that are accompanied by infinite chains of γ-radiations with subsequent γ-absorptions, further γ-radiations, etc. For a description of the α-decay evolution that accounts for such excited states and multiple γ-radiations and γ-absorptions inside stars, and under the influence of cosmic radiation on the Earth’s surface we present a quantum-mechanical approach, which is based on the generalized Krylov-Fock theorem. A few simple estimations are also presented. These approaches lead to the conclusion that the usual (non-corrected) “nuclear clocks” do really point not to realistic values but to the upper limits of the durations of α-decay in stellar and planet processes.

Keywords

EN

alpha-decay; gamma-decay; absorption; Krylov-Fock theorem; cosmic radiation

Discipline

• 23.60.+e: α decay
• 23.20.Lv: γ transitions and level energies
• 97.10.Cv: Stellar structure, interiors, evolution, nucleosynthesis, ages
• 26.40.+r: Cosmic ray nucleosynthesis

• Publisher: De Gruyter Open
• Journal: Open Physics
• Year: 2010
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 95-100

Dates

published

1 - 2 - 2010

online

15 - 11 - 2009

Contributors

author

Vladislav Olkhovsky

• Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Time Analysis of Nuclear Processes, prospekt Nauki 47, Kiev, 03028, Ukraine

author

Marina Dolinska

• Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Time Analysis of Nuclear Processes, prospekt Nauki 47, Kiev, 03028, Ukraine

References

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/s11534-009-0074-0