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A new measurement of the half-life of 241Pu using isotope mass spectrometry

P De Bièvre and A Verbruggen

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The half-life of 241Pu for β decay has been determined on an initially 93 % isotopically enriched material by measuring the decreasing amount ratio n(241Pu)/n(240Pu) as a function of time over more than twenty years. Over the same period the decrease of this ratio was measured relative to the amount ratio n(240Pu)/n(239Pu) in a "ratio-of-ratio" measurement which allowed for correction of isotopic effects in the ion source, taking into account the decay of 240Pu (half-life = 6553 a) and 239Pu (half-life = 24110 a). A regression procedure of the ratio-of-ratio measurements as a function of time resulted in a value for the 241Pu half-life of (14.290 ± 0.006) a (expanded uncertainty with coverage factor k = 2). The slight difference found in the half-life value as measured by the authors on the same material in the period 1976 to 1981 is discussed.


PACS

23.40.-s Beta decay; double beta decay; electron and muon capture

27.90.+b A ≥ 220

Subjects

Nuclear physics

Dates

Issue 1 (February 1999)



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