Beta decay of [sup 187]Re and cosmochronology

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Physical Review, C (Nuclear Physics); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.47.2954· OSTI ID:6770873

Ashktorab, K; Jaenecke, J W; Becchetti, F D ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1120 (United States)

Uncertainties which limit the use of the [sup 187]Re-[sup 187]Os isobaric pair as a cosmochronometer for the age of the galaxy and the universe include those of the partial half-lives of the continuum and bound-state decays of [sup 187]Re. While the total half-life of the decay is well established, the partial half-life for the continuum decay is uncertain, and several previous measurements are not compatible with each other. A high-temperature quartz proportional counter has been used in this work to remeasure the continuum decay of [sup 187]Re by introducing a metallo-organic rhenium compound into the counting gas. The measured beta end-point energy for the continuum decay of neutral [sup 187]Re to singly ionized [sup 187]Os of 2.70[plus minus]0.09 keV agrees with earlier results. However, the present half-life measurement of (45[plus minus]3) Gyr agrees within the quoted uncertainties only with the earlier measurement of Payne [Ph.D. thesis, University of Glasgow, 1965 (unpublished)] and Drever (private communication). The new half-life for the continuum decay and the total half-life of (43.5[plus minus]1.3) Gyr, as reported by Linder [ital et] [ital al]. [Nature (London) 320, 246 (1986)] yield a branching ratio for the bound-state decay into discrete atomic states of (3[plus minus]6)%. This is in agreement with the most recent calculated theoretical branching ratio of approximately 1%.

• OSTI ID: 6770873
• Journal Information: Physical Review, C (Nuclear Physics); (United States), Vol. 47:6; ISSN 0556-2813
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
COSMOLOGY
AGE ESTIMATION
RHENIUM 187
BETA-MINUS DECAY
ACCURACY
BRANCHING RATIO
HALF-LIFE
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
PROPORTIONAL COUNTERS
BETA DECAY
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DECAY
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NUCLEAR DECAY
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIOISOTOPES
RHENIUM ISOTOPES
STABLE ISOTOPES
SYNTHESIS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
663210* - Ground-State Radioactivity- (1992-)
663570 - Nuclear Mass Ranges- A=150-189- (1992-)