Renewal of Research on Triggering Nuclear Spin Isomers
Abstract
Nuclear spin isomers store electromagnetic energy at densities reaching 1.3 GJ/g for shelf lives approaching centuries. The best combination of shelf life and energy storage is found in Hf-178. It has been shown to release its stored energy when triggered by x-ray flashes at modest power levels. In this work trigger pulses were derived from tunable, monochromatic x-rays produced by synchrotron radiation sources. It was proven that the triggering was initiated by photoionization of an electron from the L-shell surrounding the isomeric nucleus. A fraction of 0.16% of those photoionizing events led to triggering of the release of the energy stored by the Hf-178 nuclear spin isomer. Confidence in these positive experimental results reached 92 sigma which is equivalent to 1,824 nines of certainty.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 30, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA441411
Entities
People
- Carl B. Collins
Organizations
- University of Texas at Dallas