Search for superheavy elements in the meteorite mundrabilla

Abstract

A search for superheavy elements (SHE) in the meteorite Mundrabilla was carried out: SHE were chemically enriched in the form of sulfides at p H - 2. An attempt was made to detect spontaneous fission events in this enriched sample, but no evidence for this decay path was detected (0 events in 1 year counting time). Assuming a spontaneous fission half-life of 10 9a, this yields a lower limit for SHE in the bulk material (i.e. Fe) of the meteorite: 〈SHE〉 : 〈Fe〉 ⩽ 3.10 −16 atom/atom Possible sources of error will be discussed.