Slashdot Mirror
Nuclear Decay May Vary With Earth-Sun Distance
KentuckyFC writes "We've long thought that nuclear decay rates are constant regardless of ambient conditions (except in a few special cases where beta decay can be influenced by powerful electric fields). So that makes it hard to explain two puzzling experiments from the 1980s that found periodic variations over many years in the decay rates of silicon-32 and radium-226. Now a new analysis of the raw data says that changes in the decay rate are synchronized with each other and with Earth's distance from the sun. The physicists behind this work offer two theories to explain why this might be happening (abstract). First, some theorists think the sun produces a field that changes the value of the fine structure constant on Earth as its distance from the sun varies. That would certainly affect the rate of nuclear decay. Another idea is that the effect is caused by some kind of interaction with the neutrino flux from the sun's interior which also varies with distance. Take your pick. What makes the whole story even more intriguing is that for years physicists have disagreed over the decay rates of several isotopes such as titanium-44, silicon-32, and cesium-137. Perhaps they took their data at different times of the year?"
Yes, you can now only date graphite. Diamonds are no longer acceptable dating material.
Yes - but not enough to account for the difference between Joan Rivers' apparent and actual age.
----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
I dated graphite once, she wasnt very original, kinda flaky, and left dark marks on me... Diamonds, is still playing hard to get though...
They are just trying to force me to buy new updated nuclear engineering text books. I won't fall for it!
Nuclear engineers build weapons. Civil engineers build targets.
I take it you don't play with bucky balls then!
Are the reasons your extensive diamond knowledge will never come in handy.
You better watch out, there may be dogs about . .
...only if they maintain the correct Bond.
Find environmentally and socially responsible products on http://buy-right.net
No, dogs are best friends around here. What women read /.?
Dogs read Slashdot?!