FYS3520 - Problem set 6

Spring term 2017

corrections: v1: Clarification of Problem 2. (argue for configurations that make sense; there is
several options) v2: Corrected β

Problem 1 – in class
a) What is the difference between the Nilsson and the Shell model? For which nuclei are they
usually used? Discuss the splitting of the f 7/2 -level of the shell model.
b) What types of nuclear decay are there? Characterize the different types of decay.
c) What is the decay law and how do we derive it?
d) What is the relation between the width Γ of a state and its lifetime? How does Γ effect the
notion of discrete states?
e) Explain what the branching ratios is and how this we may measure them.
f) 211 Atoffers many potential advantages for targeted α-particle therapy. Name possibilities
how it could be produced. What it the daughter nucleus?
g) Assume you want to measure the half-live against γ-decay in an experiment? What set-up
could you choose? What types of uncertainties will be associated to the result?

Problem 2 Shell Model

The ground-state spin of 17 F is J π = 5/2+ , and of the first excited state it is J π = 1/2+ . The
second excited state is J π = 1/2− . Give the configurations for protons and neutron of in the
ground-state and first excited state and name at least two possible configurations for the second
excited state. With the information provided in the lecture it is not possible to calculate the exact
energy of these configuration, so you should argue only for two configurations that make sense.

Problem 3 Deformations
a) Two different level schemes are displayed in Figure 1. Which one belongs to a rotational,
which one belongs to a vibrational nucleus?
b) In ”real life”, we usually measure the γ-ray spectra in order to deduce the level scheme. Figure
2 shows a particularly ”clean” γ-ray spectrum of 152 Dy. Based on this figure, would you
conclude that 152 Dy is a vibrator or rotator?
c) Once we have deduced the level schemes (Figure 1), we can try to obtain more information
about the nucleus. Estimate the frequency for the quadrupole phonon of the vibrational nu-
cleus.
Hint: The N-phonon state of quadrupole mode (λ = 2) can be analyzed as a 5-dimensional
oscillator (since µ = −λ, −λ + 1, . . . , λ).
Hint: What is the energy difference between two levels for a vibrational (or for a rotational)
nucleus?
d) Estimate the moment of inertia for the rotational nucleus.
e) The two extremes of calculating the moment of inertia of a ellipsoidal with mass M is to
assume that it is either a rigid body or a fluid within a vessel. For a rigid body the moment of
inertia becomes:
2
Jrigid = MR2avr (1 + 0.31β)
5

1
 While for a vessel containing a fluid it is:

9
Jfluid = MR2avr β
8π
Which of the two models of the inertia fits best with the estimated moment of inertia for the
rotational nucleus? Discuss why the experimental result will lie between these two values.
The quadrupole deformation parameter for given rotational nucleus is β = 0.340.

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(a) 168 Er (b) 114 Cd

Figure 1: Parts of the level scheme of 168 Er and 114 Cd. Which is rotational, which is vibrational?
Arrows between levels for 114 Cd correspond to γ-ray transitions. Energies are given in keV.
Source: ENDSF
/tmp/114Cd_ensdf_A.ps, created 27-Feb-17 09:55:25

Problem 4 Radioactive Sources

Three radioactive sources each have activities of 1 µCi at t=0. Their half-lives are, respectively,
1.0 s, 1.0 h, and 1.0 d.
a) How many radioactive nuclei are present at t = 0 in each source?
b) How many nuclei of each source decay between t = 0 and t = 1 s
c) How many decay between t = 0 and t = 1 h?

Problem 5 Nuclear Archeology and nuclear physics in archeology

14 C is used to determine the age of fossils and other organic materials. The idea is that as long
an organism is alive, it constantly is exchanging carbon with its environment (eating and excret-
ing) and so the isotopic composition of the organism matches that of the atmosphere. Once the
organism dies, this exchange stops, and the 14 C trapped in the system start 14 C/12 C ratio was the
same in the past as it is today (which is almost true, but hang on for a surprise . . . ), then if we see
less 14 C it must be because this isotope has decayed (12 C is stable).
a) What determines the time-scales that we can use this method on?

2
Figure 2: γ-ray spectrum for the high-spin superdeformed bands 152 Dy. Does this arise from a
rotational or vibrational scheme? Adopted from: PRL 57 (1986) 881.

b) What gave a sharp rise to the fraction of 14 C in the atmosphere from about the 1960’s.

If we want to look at events that take much longer than 5000 years, it’s useful to look for radioac-
tive decays that have much longer half lives. If you poke around the periodic table, you find
that heavy elements often have radioactive isotopes with half lives measured in billions of years.
Let’s focus on Naturally occurring uranium is a mixture of the 238 U (99.28 %) and 235 U (0.72
%) isotopes.

c) How old must the material of the solar system be if one assumes that at its creation both
isotopes were present in equal quantities? How do you interpret this result?
d) How much of the 238 U has decayed since the formation of the Earth’s crust 2.5 × 109 y ago?

Problem 6 Radon
An employee at a Pennsylvania nuclear power plant arrived at work in 1984. He surprised him-
self and others by triggering the plant’s alarm. It was assumed that he had taken radioactivity
home for the night, but it was soon determined that he went home without a trace of radioactiv-
ity. Surprisingly, what happened was that he carried radon daughters from home to work.

a) The principal health risk from radon arises not from 222 Rn, which does not adhere to lungs,
but rather from its four radioactive daughters, which chemically attach to aerosols that are
trapped in lungs. Give the daughter nuclei.
b) Assume that after the physics auditorium has not been aired for several days, a specific activ-
ity A from 222 Rn of 100 Bq/m3 is measured. Assume that the walls, floor and ceiling are made
of concrete (10×10×4m3 ). Calculate the activity of 222 Rn as a function of the lifetimes of the
parent and daughter nuclei.
c) How high is the concentration of 238 U in the concrete if the effective thickness from which the
222 Rn decay product can diffuse is 1.5 cm?

3
Problem 7 Bonus
Part 1
Among the radioactive products emitted in the 1986 Chernobyl readtor accident were 131 I (t1/2 =
8.0 d) and 137 Cs (t1/2 = 30 y). There are about fice times as many 137 Cs atoms as 131 I atoms
produced in fission.

a) Which isotope contributes the greater activity to the radiation cloud? Assume the reactor has
been operating continuously for several days before the radiation was released. (Why would
you assume so?)
b) How long after the original incident does for the two activities to become equal?

c) About 1% of fission events produce 131 I, and each fission event releases an energy of about
200 MeV. Given a reactor of Chernobyl size (1000 MW), caclulate the activity in curies of 131 I
after 24 h of operation.

Part 2
How many days should you wait until you can drink milk from the region around Chernobyl? Assuming
you were member of the scientific advisory committee after a nuclear accident, would you advice to produce
cheese for sales out of the milk? What would guide your decision?

After a brainstorming session on the last aspect, I found several research papers that may give
you further insight. An (inconclusive) list:
• J.A. Morris, After effects of the Chernobyl accident, British Veterinary Journal, Volume 144,
Issue 2, 1988, Pages 179-186, ISSN 0007-1935, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0007-1935(88)
90051-6.
• N.A. Beresford, et al., Thirty years after the Chernobyl accident: What lessons have we
learnt?, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Volume 157, June 2016, Pages 77-89, http:
//dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.02.003

• Patel, A. et al.. (1993). Decontamination of radioactive milk—a review. International jour-

nal of radiation biology, 63(3), 405-412. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/
09553009314550531
• P. Froidevaux, et al. 90Sr, 238U, 234U, 137Cs, 40K and 239/240Pu in Emmental type cheese
produced in different regions of Western Europe, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity,
Volume 72, Issue 3, 2004, Pages 287-298, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0265-931X(03)
00179-6