Is radioactive decay really exponential?
Is radioactive decay really exponential?
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放射性衰变真的是指数衰变吗？
DOI：
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发表时间：
2012
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
P. Aston
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
P. Aston
不稳定同位素的放射性衰变被广泛认为是指数衰减。这一观点得到了快速衰变同位素实验的支持，但对于缓慢衰变的同位素则更难验证。14C的衰变可以通过比较放射性碳测年与树木年代学测年来校准超过12550年。众所周知，这种方法表明，超过3000年的放射性碳年代是错误的，这通常归因于过去大气中14C水平的变化。我们注意到，预测的大气变化（假设指数衰减）不同意从建模的结果，理论量子力学并不能预测精确的指数衰减。我们给出了数学参数，非指数衰减应预期缓慢衰减的同位素，并探讨非指数衰减的后果。我们提出了一个实验测试14 C的非指数衰减的预测。如果得到证实，目前测年方法的基石将被拆除，需要对放射性同位素测年方法和目前使用这些方法获得的预测日期进行彻底的重新评估。
Radioactive decay of an unstable isotope is widely believed to be exponential. This view is supported by experiments on rapidly decaying isotopes but is more difficult to verify for slowly decaying isotopes. The decay of 14C can be calibrated over a period of 12550 years by comparing radiocarbon dates with dates obtained from dendrochronology. It is well known that this approach shows that radiocarbon dates of over 3000 years are in error, which is generally attributed to past variation in atmospheric levels of 14C. We note that predicted atmospheric variation (assuming exponential decay) does not agree with results from modelling, and that theoretical quantum mechanics does not predict exact exponential decay. We give mathematical arguments that non-exponential decay should be expected for slowly decaying isotopes and explore the consequences of non-exponential decay. We propose an experimental test of this prediction of non-exponential decay for 14C. If confirmed, a foundation stone of current dating methods will have been removed, requiring a radical reappraisal both of radioisotope dating methods and of currently predicted dates obtained using these methods.