Measurement of the thorium-228 activity in solutions cavitated by ultrasonic sound

TL;DR

This study investigated whether ultrasonic cavitation affects thorium-228's decay rate and found no evidence of accelerated decay, challenging previous claims of cavitation-induced transmutation.

Contribution

The paper provides experimental evidence that cavitation does not alter thorium-228's natural decay rate, contradicting prior reports of cavitation-induced transmutation.

Findings

No change in thorium-228 activity after cavitation

Cavitation does not accelerate radioactive decay

Results conflict with previous claims of transmutation

Abstract

We show that cavitation of a solution of thorium-228 in water does not induce its transformation at a faster rate than the natural radioactive decay. We measured the activity of a thorium-228 solution in water before, and after, it was subjected to a cavitation at 44 kHz and $250 $W for 90 minutes in order to observe any change in the thorium half-life. The results were compared to the original activity of the sample and we observed no change. Our results and conclusions conflict with those in a recent paper by F. Cardone et. al. [Phys. Lett. A 373 (2009) 1956-1958].