Rb 85 atom is 37 protons, 48 neutrons and 37 electrons (all fermions, with spins 1/2 or -1/2), that's an even number of fermions (122) so it's a boson atom (integer spin), even though it's nucleus is a fermion.
However I believe I read (can't remember where) that in BECs of atoms, the bosons are only superimposed with an atomic scale precision (angstroms), not with a nuclear scale precision (fermis) as is the case of BECs of nuclei (e.g. BECs of deuterons). If confirmed, this makes nuclear reactions among Rubidium 85 atoms unlikely I think. Michel 2010/2/5 Horace Heffner <[email protected]>: > > On Feb 5, 2010, at 6:57 AM, Jones Beene wrote: > >> As we mentioned in previous postings, any nuclear reaction with Rb is >> extremely unlikely, if we assume it is related in any way to a >> thermonuclear >> reaction. > > I think this is true. OTOH, the fact that a gas, Kr, would be produced from > a Rb Bose condensate wavefunction collapse, it is very tempting to think > such a thing is possible. The Bosenova was created using 85Rb: > > http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/bosenova.htm > > This gives the following potential reactions to stable products: > > 85Rb37 + 85Rb37 --> 86Sr38 + 84Kr36 + 2.620 MeV > 85Rb37 + 85Rb37 --> 87Sr38 + 83Kr36 + 00.527 MeV > 85Rb37 + 85Rb37 --> 88Sr38 + 82Kr36 + 4.177 MeV > 85Rb37 + 85Rb37 --> 89Y39 + 81Br35 + 1.342 MeV > 85Rb37 + 85Rb37 --> 90Zr40 + 80Se34 + 2.193 MeV > 85Rb37 + 85Rb37 --> 92Zr40 + 78Se34 + 1.145 MeV > > It is notable that one of the potential products is a gas, krypton, which > might escape detection in the experiment if produced. > > The nucleus 85Rb has an even number of neutrons, 48, plus 37 protons and > electrons. Provided the electrons and protons pair spins, the net spin of > the 85 Rb atom is zero. At one time I suggested the possibility that an > (extrenal source provided) energetic particle could collapse the wave > function of a Bose condensate to a point: > > http://mtaonline.net/~hheffner/BoseHyp.pdf > > This would mean that both the nuclei and electrons would condense to > (approximately) a point. Such a collapse would create a highly negative > energy entity, having possibly on the order of many GeV negative energy. > However, as the electron wavefunctions expand, the negative energy would be > restored from the vacuum, and the nuclei would have the energy to react, > producing nearly zero net energy reactions. The reaction that would be > triggered first, from paired rubidium nuclei, would be: > > 85Rb37 + 85Rb37 --> 86Sr38 + 84Kr36 + 2.620 MeV > > Thus producing a large proportion of krypton gas. The 2.620 MeV is > otherwise irrelevant, because it is essentially consumed by the electron > negative energy. The "explosion" would be produced with nominal energy. > > This is admittedly far fetched, for various reasons, one of the most obvious > ones being this: an amount of strontium corresponding to the krypton created > would be left behind. Surely this strontium would have been noticed, if > present in such a large proportion. > > Best regards, > > Horace Heffner > http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/ > > > > >
