Lifetime Measurement of ⁷Be in Beryllium Metal Crystal

Abstract

The decay rate of an electron-capture nucleus is proportional to the electron density in the nucleus. In order to see how the decay rate can be changed artificially, we have measured the half-life of ⁷Be in a beryllium (Be) metal crystal. We found that it is 53.25±0.04 days, which is slightly longer than that in hosts such as graphite, lithium fluoride, and others that have previously been tested.