Abstract
We propose a novel mechanism to explain nuclear decay by emission of an alpha particle. We show that the famous Geiger-Nuttall law can be explained by post-forming an alpha particle outside the range of the nuclear interaction with the daughter nucleus. This contrasts with the commonly ac- cepted mechanism of first alpha particle pre-formation followed by emission through barrier penetration. We predict that the post-formation mechanism is more likely to occur for a-particles with higher energy.
Highlights
The first application of the quantum mechanical concept of tunneling was made by GeorgeGamow, who in 1928 calculated the probability for an alpha-particle to tunnel through a Coulomb barrier and applied it to determine the lifetimes of nuclear alpha-decays [1]
Where fpre is the preformation factor of the alpha-particle at the nuclear surface, ν is the assault frequency with which it hits the internal edge of the Coulomb barrier, and Ptun is the probability that it emerges outside the barrier
The new scheme proposed above leads to rich possibilities, such as deuterons being preformed inside the nucleus, tunnelling individually, and post-forming an alpha particle within or outside the Coulomb barrier
Summary
The first application of the quantum mechanical concept of tunneling was made by George. Gamow, who in 1928 calculated the probability for an alpha-particle to tunnel through a Coulomb barrier and applied it to determine the lifetimes of nuclear alpha-decays [1]. A theoretical microscopic description of the preformation factor is the most difficult aspect of the alpha-decay theory. The alpha preformation within a nucleus is certainly due to a subtle correlation involving the four nucleons inside the nucleus, and is driven by the large alpha binding energy. A recent theoretical approach to alpha clustering in heavy nuclei using the generalized relativistic density functional model [5] studied the isotopic dependence of the number of alpha particles on the mass number of tin isotopes [4]. The extreme case of this phenomenon appears at the doubly magic self-conjugate tin nucleus 100Sn as a super-allowed α decay[7]
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