A new precision measurement of the α-decay half-life of 190Pt

Mihály Braun,Yordan M Georgiev,Tommy Schönherr,Heinrich Wilsenach,Kai Zuber

doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2017.02.052

Abstract

A laboratory measurement of the α-decay half-life of 190Pt has been performed using a low background Frisch grid ionisation chamber. A total amount of 216.60(17) mg of natural platinum has been measured for 75.9 days. The resulting half-life is (4.97±0.16)×1011 years, with a total uncertainty of 3.2%. This number is in good agreement with the half-life obtained using the geological comparison method.

Highlights

The study of α-decays has been important for the understanding of nuclei and their properties for more than a century
Three different methods have been used over almost 90 years to derive a half-life determination of 190Pt : First of all laboratory experiments based on ionisation chambers and nuclear emulsions using the energy-range relation for α-particles
The aim of this paper is to provide new data about the halflife of the 190Pt-decay by performing a laboratory measurement with a precision significantly below 10%

Summary

Introduction

The study of α-decays has been important for the understanding of nuclei and their properties for more than a century. Three different methods have been used over almost 90 years to derive a half-life determination of 190Pt : First of all laboratory experiments based on ionisation chambers and nuclear emulsions using the energy-range relation for α-particles. The chamber was designed for the detection of low rate α-decays This was achieved through constructing a TFGIC with a low level of internal radioactive impurities and in adding pulse shape discrimination to separate background from signal. In this way FADC pulses were taken from the grid and from the anode. The design of the chamber and its performance is discussed in more detail in [12]

Measurement

Background