Stangely, I remember vaguely similar results being reported around 20 years ago, but nothing seemed to have come of it. Of course the current study may well have better statistics :).
Cheers On Fri, Sep 03, 2010 at 11:24:53PM -0600, Rich Murray wrote: > thanks to Hywel White for this surprising news: .001 variations in > Si-32 and Cl-36 beta decay on Earth from solar neutrinos: Rich > Murray 2010.09.03 > > > "So, what we're suggesting is that something that can't interact > with anything is changing something that can't be changed." > > http://www.physorg.com/news202456660.html > > Radioactive decay rates vary with the sun's rotation: research > August 31, 2010 by Elizabeth K. Gardner > > Radioactive decay rates, thought to be unique physical constants and > counted on in such fields as medicine and anthropology, may be more > variable than once thought. > > A team of scientists from Purdue and Stanford universities has found > that the decay of radioactive isotopes fluctuates in synch with the > rotation of the sun's core > . > The fluctuations appear to be very small but could lead to > predictive tools forsolar flares and may have an impact on medical > radiation treatments. > > This adds to evidence of swings in decay rates in response to solar > activity and the distance between the Earth and the sun that Purdue > researchers Ephraim Fischbach, a professor of physics, and Jere > Jenkins, a nuclear engineer, have been gathering for the last four > years. > The Purdue team previously reported observing a drop in the rate of > decay that began a day and half before and peaked during the > December 2006 solar flare and an annual fluctuation that appeared to > be based on the Earth's orbit of, and changing distance from, the > sun, Jenkins said. > > "If the relationship between solar activity and decay rates proves > to be true, it could lead to a method of predicting solar flares, > which could help prevent damage to satellites and electric grids, as > well as save the lives of astronauts in space," Jenkins said. > "Finding that the decay rates fluctuate in a pattern that matches > known and theoretical solar frequencies is compelling evidence for a > solar influence on decay rates." > > Jenkins and Fischbach collaborated with Peter Sturrock, a professor > emeritus of applied physics at Stanford University and an expert on > the inner workings of the sun, to examine data collected at > Brookhaven National Laboratory on the rate of decay of the > radioactive isotopes silicon-32 and chlorine-36. > > The team reported in the journal Astroparticle Physics that the > decay rate for both isotopes varies in a 33-day recurring pattern, > which they attribute to the rotation rate of the sun's core. > > In general, the fluctuations that Jenkins and Fischbach have found > are around a tenth of a percent from what is expected, as they've > examined available published data and taken some measurements > themselves. > > The team has not yet examined isotopes used in medical radiation > treatments or for dating of ancient artifacts. > > "The fluctuations we're seeing are fractions of a percent and are > not likely to radically alter any major anthropological findings," > Fischbach said. > "One of our next steps is to look into the isotopes used medically > to see if there are any variations that would lead to overdosing or > underdosing in radiation treatments, but there is no cause for alarm > at this point. > What is key here is that what was thought to be a constant actually > varies and we've discovered a periodic oscillation where there > shouldn't be one." > > Jenkins and Fischbach suggest that the changes in the decay rates > are due to interactions with solar neutrinos, nearly weightless > particles created by nuclear reactions within the sun's core that > travel almost at the speed of light. > > It is estimated that about 60 billion solar neutrinos pass through a > person's fingernail every second, but they are so weakly reactive > that they pass right through the body without disturbing or changing > anything, Jenkins said. > > "We haven't known the solar neutrino to interact significantly with > anything, but it fits with the evidence we've gathered as the likely > source of these fluctuations," he said. > "So, what we're suggesting is that something that can't interact > with anything is changing something that can't be changed." > > The Purdue team has ruled out the possibility of experimental error > or an environmental influence on the detection systems that track > the rate of decay as being responsible for the fluctuations and > published a series of papers in the journals Astroparticle Physics, > Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, and Space > Science Reviews. > > Sturrock said it is an effect that no one yet understands and that > if it is not neutrinos that are responsible, then perhaps there is > an unknown particle interacting with the atoms. > "It would have to be something we don't know about -- an unknown > particle that is also emitted by the sun and has this effect -- and > that would be even more remarkable," he said. > > More information: > Power spectrum analyses of nuclear decay rates, > M.A. Silver et al., > Astroparticle Physics, Volume 34, Issue 3, October 2010, Pages 173-178. > doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2010.06.011 > > Provided by Purdue University (news : web) > > > Astroparticle Physics > Volume 34, Issue 3, October 2010, Pages 173-178 > doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2010.06.011 > Copyright © 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. > > Power spectrum analyses of nuclear decay rates , f and B. Terryg, i > a 411th Flight Test Squadron, 412th Test Wing, Edwards AFB, CA 93524, USA > b Center for Space Science Astrophysics, Stanford University, > Stanford, CA 94305, USA > c St. John's College, Cambridge CB2 1TP, UK > d Astrophysics Group, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK > e Department of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA > f Detachment 220, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, West > Lafayette, IN 47907, USA > g 47th Operations Support Squadron, 47th Flying Training Wing, > Laughlin AFB, TX 78843, USA > h School of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, > IN 47907, USA > i Department of Physics, United States Air Force Academy, CO 80920, USA > j Training Squadron 3, Training Air Wing 5, NAS Whiting Field, > Milton, FL 32570, USA > k 392nd Training Squadron, 30th Space Wing, Vandenberg AFB, CA 93437, USA > Received 22 December 2009; revised 10 June 2010; accepted 30 June > 2010. Available online 6 July 2010. > > Abstract > > We provide the results from a spectral analysis of nuclear decay > data displaying annually varying periodic fluctuations. > The analyzed data were obtained from three distinct data sets: > 32Si and 36Cl decays reported by an experiment performed at the > Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), > 56Mn decay reported by the Children's Nutrition Research Center > (CNRC), but also performed at BNL, > and 226Ra decay reported by an experiment performed at the > Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Germany. > > All three data sets exhibit the same primary frequency mode > consisting of an annual period. > > Additional spectral comparisons of the data to local ambient > temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, Earth-Sun > distance, and their reciprocals were performed. > No common phases were found between the factors investigated and > those exhibited by the nuclear decay data. > This suggests that either a combination of factors was responsible, > or that, if it was a single factor, its effects on the decay rate > experiments are not a direct synchronous modulation. > We conclude that the annual periodicity in these data sets is a real > effect, but that further study involving additional carefully > controlled experiments will be needed to establish its origin. > Keywords: Spectral analysis; Radioactive decay; Nuclear decay > > > http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/08/26/scientist-smackdown-are-solar-neutrinos-messing-with-matter/ > > blog debate 2010.08.26 > Blogs / 80beats > Scientist Smackdown: Are Solar Neutrinos Messing With Matter? > > "The big one, though, is number three: are we really seeing some > kind of physics never seen before? > Fischbach and Jenkins don't back off: > "We agree that, according to current theory of the standard weak > interaction, neutrinos should not be influencing decay rates. > We also agree that Super-Kamiokande data are not anomalous. > Our position is that either neutrinos have properties we do not yet > understand, or some other particle or field behaving like neutrinos > is influencing decay rates. > In slightly more detail, we are not considering neutrino capture as > in the case of Super-K. > Rather we work in a picture where neutrinos pass through the sample > of decaying nuclei, as they pass through everything else, and > exchange an energy on the order of 10-100 eV. > Given the sensitivity of beta decays and electron capture to the > energy available, the exchange of a small amount of energy in this > way could be sufficient to explain the observed effects." > > > http://ie.lbl.gov/toi/nuclide.asp?iZA=140032 > 32Si 150 years beta 224.5 Kev > 36Cl 3.01x10E5 years beta, or positron with neutrino > _______________________________________________ > > > Rich Murray, MA > Boston University Graduate School 1967 psychology, > BS MIT 1964, history and physics, > 1943 Otowi Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 > 505-501-2298 [email protected] > Sondra Spies, DOM > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AstroDeep/messages > > http://RMForAll.blogspot.com new primary archive > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages > group with 146 members, 1,609 posts in a public archive > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rmforall/messages > > participant, Santa Fe Complex www.sfcomplex.org > _______________________________________________ > > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prof Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile) Mathematics UNSW SYDNEY 2052 [email protected] Australia http://www.hpcoders.com.au ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
