Transplutonium Elements in Thermonuclear Test Debris

1956/04/01 by P. R. Fields, Martin H. Studier, H. Diamond +10 · 11 citations
Physics and Astronomy · Environmental Science · #Nuclear Physics and Applications #Radioactive contamination and transfer #Nuclear physics research studies

paper · doi:10.1103/physrev.102.180

openalex publication_date 1956/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26

Abstract

The isotopes of curium, berkelium, and californium found in the thermonuclear debris of the November, 1952 thermonuclear test are discussed. The instantaneous buildup of the heavy elements in the thermonuclear device is compared with the buildup during pile irradiation. The alpha-particle energy (5.4 Mev) and the spontaneous fission half-life (1.2\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10⁷ years) of Cm²⁴⁶ are reported. The spontaneous fission half-life of Cf²⁵⁴ was found to be 55 days. No other mode of decay was observed for this isotope.

Cited by

• Synthesis of the Elements in Stars
• Isotopes of Berkelium and Californium Produced by Neutron Irradiation of Plutonium
• Evolution of the periodic table through the synthesis of new elements
• Actinide [wikipedia]
• Americium [wikipedia]
• Berkelium [wikipedia]
• Californium [wikipedia]
• Curium [wikipedia]
• Einsteinium [wikipedia]
• Fermium [wikipedia]
• Period 7 element [wikipedia]