Geoantineutrino Spectrum and Slow Nuclear Burning on the Boundary of the Liquid and Solid Phases of the Earth's core

TL;DR

This paper explores the hypothesis of an actinoid shell at the Earth's core boundary, modeling natural nuclear reactors and their geoantineutrino emissions, to address the geoantineutrino deficit and core composition.

Contribution

It introduces a model of nuclear burning waves in Earth's core boundary and estimates their impact on geoantineutrino spectrum, linking geochemistry and nuclear physics.

Findings

Numerical simulation of neutron-fission waves in Earth's core conditions.

Proposed actinoid shell as a natural nuclear reactor source.

Estimated geoantineutrino spectrum consistent with observations.

Abstract

The problem of the geoantineutrino deficit and the experimental results of the interaction of uranium dioxide and carbide with iron-nickel and silica-alumina melts at high pressure (5-10 GPa) and temperature (1600- 22000 C) have induced us to consider the possible consequences of made by V. Anisichkin and A. Ershov supposition that there is an actinoid shell on boundary of liquid and solid phases of the Earth's core. We have shown that the activation of a natural nuclear reactor operating as the solitary waves of nuclear burning in 238U- and/or 232Th-medium (in particular, the neutron-fission progressive wave of Feoktistov and/or Teller-Ishikawa-Wood) such physical consequent can be. The simplified model of the kinetics of accumulation and burnup in U-Pu fuel cycle of Feoktistov is developed. The results of the numerical simulation of neutron-fission wave in two-phase UO2/Fe medium on a surface of the Earth's solid core are presented. On the basis of O'Nions-Ivensen-Hamilton model of the geochemical evolution of mantle differentiation and the Earth's crust growth supplied by actinoid shell on the boundary of liquid and solid phases of the Earth's core as a nuclear energy source, the tentative estimation of intensity and geoantineutrino spectrum on the Earth surface was obtained.