# Post-formation in alpha emission from nuclei

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new post-formation mechanism for alpha emission in nuclei, explaining the Geiger-Nuttall law and predicting higher likelihood of emission for higher-energy alpha particles, contrasting with traditional models.

## Contribution

It proposes a novel post-formation mechanism for alpha decay that explains the Geiger-Nuttall law and differs from the pre-formation model.

## Key findings

- The Geiger-Nuttall law can be explained by post-formation outside the nuclear range.
- Post-formation mechanism is more probable for higher-energy alpha particles.
- Contrasts with the traditional pre-formation and barrier penetration model.

## Abstract

We propose a novel mechanism to explain nuclear decay by emission of an alpha particle. We show that the famous Geiger-Nuttall law can be explained by post-forming an alpha particle outside the range of the nuclear interaction with the daughter nucleus. This contrasts with the commonly accepted mechanism of first alpha particle pre-formation followed by emission through barrier penetration. We predict that the post-formation mechanism is more likely to occur for alpha-particles with higher energy.