A Mathematica Notebook for Alpha Decay Using an Exponentially Diffuse Boundary Potential

2002/06/07 by Eugene F. Chaffin, Chaffin, Eugene F., Daniel S. Banks +1
Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Neutrino Physics Research #Nuclear Theory (nucl-th) #Nuclear physics research studies #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #nucl-th

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.nucl-th/0206020

12 pages, Mathematica notebook reformatted page, deleted figures

openalex publication_date 2002/06/07 · arxiv created 2002/06/10 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Using the exponentially diffuse boundary potential of Green and Lee (1955), we develop a Mathematica notebook to treat alpha decay by using the complex energy approach of Preston (1947), as modified by Pierronne and Marquez (1978). Our approach allows the potential to change slowly from the well depth of the interior of the nucleus to the top of the Coulomb barrier, rather than the sudden step of the simple square well used by Pierronne and Marquez. Recent interest in possible variation in coupling constants such as the strong coupling alpha_s motivates us to develop this algorithm which can allow numerical study of the variation of the decay constant of a nucleus such as U-238 when the depth of the nuclear potential well changes.

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