Effect of laser radiation on aqueous solutions of beta-active nuclides

Abstract

Experimental data are presented on the effect of pulsed laser irradiation of aqueous 234Th, 231Th and 137Cs solutions on the concentrations of the beta-active nuclides in the solutions. Central to the investigation technique used is that the solutions contain nanoparticles resulting from the interaction of laser radiation with a target placed in the cuvette. The concentration of the radionuclides was evaluated before, during and after laser irradiation from the area under gamma-ray lines corresponding to spontaneous gamma decay. The gamma photon energies of 234Th, 231Th and 137Cs are 92, 186 and 661 keV, respectively. It has been shown that laser irradiation reduces the concentration of the three beta-active nuclides without excess gamma-ray emission in the energy range of their spontaneous decay. This is possible if decay follows another mechanism, activated by interaction of laser radiation with the aqueous solutions of the nuclides in the presence of nanoparticles.