Radioactive decay

[Ludwik]

In a private message received today someone wrote:

Hi Ludwik,

Have you heard this surprising news about nuclear decay?

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/august/sun-082310.html

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Here is the essence of the claim:

"Checking data collected at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island and the Federal Physical and Technical Institute in Germany, they came across something even more surprising: long-term observation of the decay rate of silicon-32 and radium-226 seemed to show a small seasonal variation. The decay rate was ever so slightly faster in winter than in summer."

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Experimental evidence that the rate of radioactive decay remains constant (in natural earth environment) is very reliable. But it is not difficult to change it. Put a radioactive isotope into the core of a nuclear reactor an it will start disappearing faster that outside, due to the bombardment neutrons. This idea is at the heart of a project whose aim is destroy highly radioactive waste. For more details see:

http://pages.csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/waste/

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Nuclear electricity would be more widely used if the problem of highly radioactive waste (produced by nuclear reactors) could be solved.

[NatureBoff]

In a private message received today someone wrote:

Hi Ludwik,

Have you heard this surprising news about nuclear decay?

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/august/sun-082310.html

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Here is the essence of the claim:

"Checking data collected at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island and the Federal Physical and Technical Institute in Germany, they came across something even more surprising: long-term observation of the decay rate of silicon-32 and radium-226 seemed to show a small seasonal variation. The decay rate was ever so slightly faster in winter than in summer."

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Experimental evidence that the rate of radioactive decay remains constant (in natural earth environment) is very reliable. But it is not difficult to change it. Put a radioactive isotope into the core of a nuclear reactor an it will start disappearing faster that outside, due to the bombardment neutrons. This idea is at the heart of a project whose aim is destroy highly radioactive waste. For more details see:

http://pages.csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/waste/

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Nuclear electricity would be more widely used if the problem of highly radioactive waste (produced by nuclear reactors) could be solved.

I think that it is neutrinos which affect the decay rates of radioactive isotopes. Imo, the winter/summer variation is due to the Earth's annual 3D orbit, or inclination cycle, which is currently 9th January and 9th July. I wish someone would do the sums on the data to check. Here's another article Scientist Smackdown: Are Solar Neutrinos Messing With Matter?

[Torgo]

More research is definitely in order, especially considering that there could be other effects coming into play, such as dark matter colliding with the detector differently during different times of year as our relative velocity to the cloud of dark matter suffusing the galaxy. It must be confirmed that the detectors are indeed detecting radioactive decay. It's also possible the source of variation, if it exists, could be extrasolar and just has to do with the earth's relative velocity.

I will definitely be looking to see if this pans out.

[Druidus-Logos]

I read this a number of months ago. It's very interesting, and deserves further research.