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Is there a theoretical way to increase the cross section of inverse beta decay for Ti-48? This would be any method for increasing the likelyhood that Ti-48 absorbs an anti neutrino and creates Ca-48 along with a positron.

-James Li

Qmechanic
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James Li
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    Find a different universe - that would seem to be the easiest way. – Jon Custer Aug 10 '19 at 15:24
  • there is some strong evidence that decays that rely on weak nuclear force are sensitive to solar neutrino influx: https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.11749 – lurscher Aug 10 '19 at 18:57
  • @lurscher Sturrock, Fischbach et al have been making such claims for a while, but their evidence is not strong. See https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/30308/ and https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/490550/ – PM 2Ring Aug 10 '19 at 19:36

1 Answers1

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Please read this summary on changing nuclear decay lifetimes.

The reaction you are looking for is complicated , it does not go directly to Ca-48, it is two step.

Ti-44 disintegrates 100% by electron capture to excited levels in Sc-44 (T1/2= 3.93 h), which subsequently decays by EC and beta plus to Ca-44.

So I do not think it can happen in an antineutrino beam.

In general, decay lifetimes are mathematically connected with the interaction cross section for the transitions you want to study.

Since radioactive decay is a spontaneous event, you may think that the half-life of the decay process is completely fixed and cannot be altered by outside influences. However, this statement is not completely true.

Reading it you will see that an incoming antineutrino cannot fall in the possible ways, except when used with time dilation, i.e. moving the nuclear sample so that the antineutrino beam energy spectrum falls within the crossection for the interaction, if the available beam has a momentum/energy spectrum that is not good for rest energies at lab, i.e peaks at not useful energies.

Giving the nuclear sample momentum/energy can bring the peak of the antineutrino momentum/energy to a region good for your reaction. Time dilation has already been suggested in the comments to another similar question of yours.

anna v
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