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Laser nonenhancement of beta decay Blevis, Ira
Abstract
The possibility of influencing nuclear beta decay with high intensity, low frequency electromagnetic radiation (such as from a laser) is examined. The motion of an electron in an e.m. field is found first according to classical mechanics and then according to quantum mechanics. The latter discussion yields the Volkov solution for the electron wave function which is then used in a beta decay calculation patterned after Becker et al. In this calculation the Volkov solution is substituted for the electron plane wave factor in the transition amplitude in the Fermi theory of beta decay. The ratio of total decay rates R= W with laser/W no laser is numerically evaluated with a computer for the case of ³H (and some others) where the emphasis is on only allowed nuclear transitions and on phase space considerations. No change in rate to 1% accuracy is found, for the range of the dimensionless field strength intensity parameter V =ea/m ε [. 3 ,7 ], or the photon energy range ш e [2,8]eV. This range of v corresponds to the range in laser intensity of I ε [3x10¹⁷|,2x10²⁰]W/cm². The endpoints of the neutrino spectrum are found to be unmodified by the laser (both analytically and numerically). Thus this calculation suggests that the basic beta decay process is not affected by laser irradiation.
Item Metadata
Title |
Laser nonenhancement of beta decay
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1984
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Description |
The possibility of influencing nuclear beta decay with high intensity, low frequency electromagnetic radiation (such as from a laser) is examined. The motion of an electron in an e.m. field is found first according to classical mechanics and then according to quantum mechanics. The latter discussion yields the Volkov solution for the electron wave function which is then used in a beta decay calculation patterned after Becker et al. In this calculation the Volkov solution is substituted for the electron plane wave factor in the transition amplitude in the Fermi theory of beta decay.
The ratio of total decay rates R= W with laser/W no laser is numerically evaluated with a computer for the case of ³H (and some others) where the emphasis is on only allowed nuclear transitions and on phase space considerations. No change in rate to 1% accuracy is found, for the range of the dimensionless field strength intensity parameter V =ea/m ε [. 3 ,7 ], or the photon energy range ш e [2,8]eV. This range of v corresponds to the range in laser intensity of I ε [3x10¹⁷|,2x10²⁰]W/cm². The endpoints of the neutrino spectrum are found to be unmodified by the laser (both analytically and numerically). Thus this calculation suggests that the basic beta decay process is not affected by laser irradiation.
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Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2010-05-10
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0096047
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.