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Electron capture nuclear decay rate under compression in a confined environment

  • Regular Article – Atomic Physics
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Abstract

We have calculated the effect of compressing the radioactive atoms in the crystal lattice environments on their electron capture nuclear decay rates. The electronic structure calculations of solids using the density functional techniques have been used to calculate the change of electron density at the nuclei and the corresponding change of electron capture nuclear decay rate of the radioactive atoms confined to the interstitial spaces of different crystal lattices. The effects of finite nuclear size and vacuum polarization were considered in the calculations. It has been found that the calculations significantly underpredict the experimentally measured increase of electron capture nuclear decay rate under compression. The increase of decay rate due to compression-induced quantum anti-Zeno effect is generally believed to be very small because of very short duration of initial nonexponential decay time for the nuclear decays. However, this effect could be observable for the electron capture nuclear decay of \(^{\mathrm {163}}\)Ho, because of its very low decay energy. Moreover, certain models of quantum measurement indicate much longer initial nonexponential decay time and the corresponding implication on the increase of decay rate under compression is still not known. It is important to understand the large discrepancy between the measured and calculated increase of electron capture nuclear decay rate under compression and the associated role of quantum anti-Zeno effect because of their possible implications in various astrophysical and geophysical calculations.

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Data Availibility Statement

This manuscript has no associated data or the data will not be deposited. [Authors’ comment: All the calculated results were generated by the authors and are available upon request. There is no supplementary data sheet with this paper.]

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Acknowledgements

Two of us, NA and ML want to thank to J. Garza for his useful comments and for allowing us to use his CONFATOM code for confined many electron atoms. A. Ray acknowledges financial assistance from Science and Engineering Research Board, Government of India, Grant Nos. CRG/2020/003237 and EMR/2016/001914.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Variable Energy Cyclotron Center, 1/AF, Bidhannagar, Kolkata, 700064, India

    A. Ray, P. Das, A. K. Sikdar & S. Pathak

  2. Homi Bhabha National Institute Training School Hostel, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400094, India

    P. Das & S. Pathak

  3. Departmento de Física, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco186, C.P. 09340, Mexico, DF, Mexico

    N. Aquino

  4. CONACYT - Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa, Av. Vasco de Quiroga 4871, Santa Fe Cuajimalpa, C.P. 05300, Mexico, DF, Mexico

    Mayra Lozano-Espinosa

  5. Institute of Physics and CINSaT, University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-St. 40, 34132, Kassel, Germany

    A. N. Artemyev

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  1. A. Ray
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  2. P. Das
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All the authors have contributed equally in the preparation of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to A. Ray.

Additional information

Contribution to the Topical Issue “Atoms and Molecules in a Confined Environment” edited by C. N. Ramachandran, Vincenzo Aquilanti, Henry Ed Montgomery, Narayanasami Sathyamurthy.

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Ray, A., Das, P., Sikdar, A.K. et al. Electron capture nuclear decay rate under compression in a confined environment. Eur. Phys. J. D 75, 140 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/s10053-021-00145-0

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