Science
Nuclear physicists identify magnetic source of unexpected low-energy gamma rays
Experiments at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams trace the low-energy enhancement phenomenon to internal magnetic transitions during radioactive decay.
The short version
- Researchers identified that internal magnetic flips in atomic nucleons drive the unexpected excess of low-energy gamma ray emissions during radioactive decay.
- The findings address a decades-old anomaly known as low-energy enhancement, which had resisted consistent theoretical modeling.
- Scientists expect the new nuclear data to refine models used in nuclear energy, weapons stockpile assessments, nuclear forensics, and astrophysics.
Key facts
- A study published in Nature by researchers at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) resolved the mechanism behind low-energy enhancement in gamma ray emissions.[ScienceDaily]
- The experiment isolated two decay states of a radioactive copper isotope transitioning into zinc-70, distinguishing between electric transitions and magnetic transitions.[ScienceDaily]
- The excess low-energy gamma rays occurred solely during magnetic transitions, where protons and neutrons flip their internal magnetic orientations.[ScienceDaily]
- Electric transitions involving proton repositioning during decay did not exhibit the low-energy enhancement effect.[ScienceDaily]
What remains uncertain
- Because the experimental confirmation was performed on a single isotope transition, it remains to be verified how broadly the magnetic mechanism applies across all other unmapped nuclei that exhibit low-energy enhancement.[ScienceDaily]
Sources
- Hidden magnetism inside atoms may explain mysterious gamma raysScienceDaily - Science