Nuclear Decay May Vary With Earth-Sun Distance 418
KentuckyFC writes "We've long thought that nuclear decay rates are constant regardless of ambient conditions (except in a few special cases where beta decay can be influenced by powerful electric fields). So that makes it hard to explain two puzzling experiments from the 1980s that found periodic variations over many years in the decay rates of silicon-32 and radium-226. Now a new analysis of the raw data says that changes in the decay rate are synchronized with each other and with Earth's distance from the sun. The physicists behind this work offer two theories to explain why this might be happening (abstract). First, some theorists think the sun produces a field that changes the value of the fine structure constant on Earth as its distance from the sun varies. That would certainly affect the rate of nuclear decay. Another idea is that the effect is caused by some kind of interaction with the neutrino flux from the sun's interior which also varies with distance. Take your pick. What makes the whole story even more intriguing is that for years physicists have disagreed over the decay rates of several isotopes such as titanium-44, silicon-32, and cesium-137. Perhaps they took their data at different times of the year?"
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:5, Funny)
Silicon-32 Decay Variation (Score:4, Funny)
Uhhh... (Score:3, Funny)
dendrochronology! (Score:3, Funny)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrochronology [wikipedia.org]
I pity the man who has to interrupt two scientists arguing about decay rates and tell them they were both right.
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:2, Funny)
Does this have any ramifications for carbon dating?
No, I'd say just go with the original plan of a nice dinner and a walk by the ocean and you will do just fine.
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:5, Funny)
Yes - but not enough to account for the difference between Joan Rivers' apparent and actual age.
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:5, Funny)
I dated graphite once, she wasnt very original, kinda flaky, and left dark marks on me... Diamonds, is still playing hard to get though...
It's a trick! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:4, Funny)
But I live in Nebraska, you insensitive clod!
Phlogiston (Score:5, Funny)
Now if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with my Phrenologist.
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:5, Funny)
Guess I'll need even less nuclear fuel... (Score:4, Funny)
...stored on the interstellar star voyager I'm building, then.
Should be able to pack a few more women on-board that way.
Fundamental constant (Score:3, Funny)
First, some theorists think the sun produces a field that changes the value of the fine structure constant on Earth as its distance from the sun varies.
If this is true, we get some fundamental variables besides $_, @_, etc.
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:5, Funny)
Diamonds are generally best friends, not dating material.
Re:Guess I'll need even less nuclear fuel... (Score:3, Funny)
openings for little known facts (Score:5, Funny)
it would explain a lot (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:5, Funny)
Yes - but not enough to account for the difference between Joan Rivers' apparent and actual age.
When nine-hundred years old you reach, look as good, you will not.
Re:Cesium decay (Score:4, Funny)
An old programming axiom now looks more true than ever:
"Variables don't and constants aren't"
penis anus? (Score:1, Funny)
anus penis?
Re:General relativity to the rescue? (Score:4, Funny)
Or are they simply looking for casual relationships where none actually exist. Perhaps the decay rate relates to the amount of pastafarians on earth.
This isn't Craigslist, chief.
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:5, Funny)
They measure electron state transition times. You can relax now.
Why'd you tell him to relax?
Look, he just threw off a bunch of photons all over the place - and it was a forbidden transition!
Ok, so you clean up the mess now! :-)
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:4, Funny)
There's a joke in here somewhere about nanowires being phallic and nanotubes, but I'm far to mature to make it.
Re:Silicon-32 Decay Variation (Score:3, Funny)
No wonder why those things glow...
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:5, Funny)
Diamond: When you only want the best for your grill.
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:3, Funny)
So what you are saying is that even though we may all aspire to have a diamond, it is something you can't really hold onto because it will either overreact to something, burn out, or eventually become a stable graphite anyway (which is what we should have been looking for to begin with).
Man, how far can we drag out these relationship analogies?
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:3, Funny)
Yes, you can now only date graphite. Diamonds are no longer acceptable dating material.
Obviously. Once the guy gives the girl a diamond they are past dating.
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:2, Funny)
...
On a timescale of billions of years, however, the luminosity of the Sun has increased substantially, and if that accelerates radioactive decays by some neutrino interaction then the uranium-lead clock would be off and the Earth might be considerably older than we thought.
So, like 7000 years then ?
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:4, Funny)
Would the time scale be universal instead? : p
Diamonds are Forever... (Score:5, Funny)
...only if they maintain the correct Bond.
Re:Engineering Ramifications? (Score:3, Funny)
In the interests of learning, I propose we switch it off to see what happens.
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:3, Funny)
[...] nutrino [...] natrino [...] nutino
Geez, man! Snap out of it!
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:4, Funny)
Seriously, what's the problem with burning diamonds in oxygen?
Spoken like someone who has never experienced a diamond mine fire firsthand.
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:3, Funny)
Yes it's far more likely that this annual periodic wobble of a few percent is indicative of a past where carbon was a factor of 1000 times more radioactive than it is now, roasting the dinosaurs alive so they went extinct before they could leave the garden of Eden.
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:5, Funny)
Hi honey, I got you this fabulous graphite ring. It lasts longer than a diamond! Will you marry me?
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:3, Funny)
Take an old vinyl record.
What the hell is a vinyl record? Links please.
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:5, Funny)
Dogs read Slashdot?!
Diamonds are not, in fact, forever (Score:3, Funny)
Graphite is for-evah, shiny graphite is for-evah, unless you use a bloody rubber, for you Americans that's an eraser...
Re:Carbon Dating (Score:3, Funny)