To the modification of methods of nuclear chronometry in astrophysics and geophysics

TL;DR

This paper proposes a quantum-mechanical approach to nuclear chronometry that accounts for excited states and gamma radiation processes, suggesting traditional methods overestimate decay durations in astrophysical and geophysical contexts.

Contribution

It introduces a new model incorporating excited nuclear states and gamma processes into nuclear chronometry, improving accuracy in astrophysical and geophysical applications.

Findings

Traditional nuclear clocks overestimate decay durations.

The new model provides more realistic estimates of alpha-decay times.

Excited states significantly affect nuclear decay measurements.

Abstract

In practically all known till now methods of nuclear chronometry there were usually taken into account the life-times of only fundamental states of $\alpha$-radioactive nuclei. But in the processes of nuclear synthesis in stars and under the influence of the constant cosmic radiation on surfaces of planets the excitations of the $\alpha$-radioactive nuclei are going on. Between them there are the states with the excited $\alpha$-particles inside the parent nuclei and so with much smaller life-times. And inside the large masses of stellar, terrestrial and meteoric substances the transitions between different internal conditions of radioactive nuclei are accompanied by infinite chains of the $\gamma$-radiations with the subsequent $\gamma$-absorptions, the further $\gamma$-radiations etc. For the description of the $\alpha$-decay evolution with considering of such excited states and multiple $\gamma$-radiations and $\gamma$-absorptions inside stars and under the influence of the cosmic radiation on the earth surface we present the quantum-mechanical approach, which is based on the generalized Krylov-Fock theorem. Some simple estimations are also presented. They bring to the conclusion that the usual (non-corrected) "nuclear clocks" do really indicate not to realistic values but to the \emph{upper limits} of the durations of the $\alpha$-decay stellar and planet processes.