The exponential law with negative exponent which describes the change over time in the number of atomic systems of the radio-active species is derived from the observed change over time in the respective rate of decay, and interpreted in terms of first-order kinetics. However, this law cannot describe the change over time in the number of intrinsically-unstable systems, because after an infinite time-span of observation systems still survive unchanged. Instead, the exponential law adequately describes the change over time in the number of systems which transform due to interaction with external physical entities. The atomic systems we presently call 'radio-active' are actually 'radio-activated', the observed change in the rate of decay of 'radio-active' nuclides is more adequately interpreted and discussed in terms of second-order kinetics and the decay constant ? of a 'radio-active' species contains information about the concentration of the activating species. This line of reasoning is supported by recent interpretations of experimental data which suggest the existence of a relationship between solar activity and distance and the rate of decay of beta- and alpha-emitting radio-active nuclides (Jenkins & Fischbach, 2009; Jenkins et al., 2012). It can be reasonably hypothesized that the sun changed its activity over the geological time. In this case a change in the value of the decay constants of the 'radio-active' nuclides occurred over time. A radio-activated nuclide is not characterized by a 'decay constant' ?, but by a 'decay parameter' ?, and we can calculate the effect of the change in ? over time on the age values of geological systems we calculate by using parent-daughter 'radio-active' nuclide systematics. The age values we calculate using the value of ? we measure nowadays are always apparent ages, and if the value of ? changed monotonically over the geological time, the deviation of the apparent age from the true age of a geological system increases with the true age of the system. Moreover, since the apparent age of a geological system we obtain by using a parent-daughter radio-active systematics depends not only on the true age of the system but also on the change of the decay parameter of the parent nuclide over the true age time-span, and since the change of the decay parameter depends on the evolution of the activity of the respective star, coeval geological systems on planets orbiting around different stars generally have different apparent age, and cannot be correlated. Jenkins J.H. & Fischbach E. 2009. Perturbation of nuclear decay rates during the solar flare of 2006 December 13, Astropart. Phys., 31, 407-411. Jenkins J.H., Herminghuysen K.R., Blue T.E., Fischbach E., Javorsek II D., Kauffman A.C., Mundy D.W., Sturrock P.A. & Talnagi J.W. 2012. Additional experimental evidence for a solar influence on nuclear decay rates. Astropart. Phys., 37, 81-88.
Radioactive decay as a second-order kinetics transformation process. Consequences on radiometric dating.
Giancarlo Cavazzini
2014
Abstract
The exponential law with negative exponent which describes the change over time in the number of atomic systems of the radio-active species is derived from the observed change over time in the respective rate of decay, and interpreted in terms of first-order kinetics. However, this law cannot describe the change over time in the number of intrinsically-unstable systems, because after an infinite time-span of observation systems still survive unchanged. Instead, the exponential law adequately describes the change over time in the number of systems which transform due to interaction with external physical entities. The atomic systems we presently call 'radio-active' are actually 'radio-activated', the observed change in the rate of decay of 'radio-active' nuclides is more adequately interpreted and discussed in terms of second-order kinetics and the decay constant ? of a 'radio-active' species contains information about the concentration of the activating species. This line of reasoning is supported by recent interpretations of experimental data which suggest the existence of a relationship between solar activity and distance and the rate of decay of beta- and alpha-emitting radio-active nuclides (Jenkins & Fischbach, 2009; Jenkins et al., 2012). It can be reasonably hypothesized that the sun changed its activity over the geological time. In this case a change in the value of the decay constants of the 'radio-active' nuclides occurred over time. A radio-activated nuclide is not characterized by a 'decay constant' ?, but by a 'decay parameter' ?, and we can calculate the effect of the change in ? over time on the age values of geological systems we calculate by using parent-daughter 'radio-active' nuclide systematics. The age values we calculate using the value of ? we measure nowadays are always apparent ages, and if the value of ? changed monotonically over the geological time, the deviation of the apparent age from the true age of a geological system increases with the true age of the system. Moreover, since the apparent age of a geological system we obtain by using a parent-daughter radio-active systematics depends not only on the true age of the system but also on the change of the decay parameter of the parent nuclide over the true age time-span, and since the change of the decay parameter depends on the evolution of the activity of the respective star, coeval geological systems on planets orbiting around different stars generally have different apparent age, and cannot be correlated. Jenkins J.H. & Fischbach E. 2009. Perturbation of nuclear decay rates during the solar flare of 2006 December 13, Astropart. Phys., 31, 407-411. Jenkins J.H., Herminghuysen K.R., Blue T.E., Fischbach E., Javorsek II D., Kauffman A.C., Mundy D.W., Sturrock P.A. & Talnagi J.W. 2012. Additional experimental evidence for a solar influence on nuclear decay rates. Astropart. Phys., 37, 81-88.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
