"a theory developed by John Barrow at the University of Cambridge in the UK and Douglas Shaw at the University of London, suggests that the sun produces a field that changes the value of the fine structure constant on Earth as its distance from the sun varies during each orbit. Such an effect would certainly cause the kind of an annual variation in decay rates that Jenkins and co highlight.
Another idea is that the effect is caused by some kind of interaction with the neutrino flux from the sun’s interior, which could be tested by carrying out the measurements close to a nuclear reactor (which would generate its own powerful neutrino flux).
It turns out, that the notion of that nuclear decay rates are constant has been under attack for some time. In 2006, Jenkins says the decay rate of manganese-54 in their lab decreased dramtically during a solar flare on 13 December."
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Me, I just love stuff where conventional wisdom gets upset. A slight opportunity for potentially new physics or at least a better understanding of std physics. Win-win.
Between this and the recent revision of tree ring dating metrics lots of our past dates will likely be revised a bit. Maybe some conundrums resolved.
Nuclear Decay Rates May Be A Function Of Earth-Sun Distance
The whole thread (32 posts)
- Nuclear Decay Rates May Be A Function Of Earth-Sun Distance
- Previous work on variations in the fine structure constant with Earth-Sun distance
- Would Mercury be older or younger radiometrically?
- [Finnish Babel deleted]
- Anyone else besides me reminded of Vernor Vinge?
- re: Nuclear Decay variation
- Plasma Opacity and Optical Depth
- That theory is subject either to verification or debunking; and one or the other is quite possible thanks to...
- re: Nuclear Decay Rates May Be A Function Of Earth-Sun Distance