Comment on 'Comparative study of beta-decay data for eight nuclides measured at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt' [Astropart. Phys., 50, 47-58]

TL;DR

This paper critiques a recent study claiming solar influences on radioactive decay rates, clarifying data properties and arguing against its interpretation as evidence for new physics.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the data used in the previous study and explains why the data do not support claims of decay rate variations caused by solar activity.

Findings

The data analyzed are not suitable for detecting decay rate changes.

The observed variations are attributed to measurement artifacts or other non-physical factors.

The paper refutes the claim of solar-driven decay rate changes.

Abstract

We would like to comment on a recent paper by Sturrock et al. [1] in which the authors analyze decay data acquired by an ionization chamber in our institute. They interpret the variations in the data as solar-driven changes in the decay rates of the radionuclides under study. In brief we would like to discuss and elucidate the properties and the origin of the data used by the authors and explain why these data are not a sound basis for claiming evidence for new physics.