In reply to Jones Beene's message of Sun, 1 Jun 2014 10:46:36 -0700: Hi, [snip] >In fact, my belief (pending a citation from you or Robin to contradict it) - >is that this blanket statement above about lack of a geometrical parameter is >completely incorrect - and in fact no nucleus can emit longer wavelength EM >radiation than either its dimensions permit, or its resonant path in space >permits (precession or equivalent motion). This emission would be due partly >to geometry and partly due to excess internal energy which is released in >quanta and not randomly.
Take just about any garden variety gamma emitting nucleus, e.g. 60Co, which emits a.o. a gamma of 346 keV. This gamma has a wavelength of about 3580 fm which is about a thousand of times the size of the Nucleus. And this is certainly not the longest wavelength gamma emitted by a nucleus, i.e. there are other nuclei which emit lower energy gammas. I suspect that the primary reason that you don't see UV etc. from nuclei is simply that the internal forces in nuclei are so strong that any transition from one state to another usually involves much more energy than that of a UV photon. Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/project.html
