Confirmation of 20 % error in the 209Po half-life

Abstract

First results of a half-life measurement of 209Po show 20% discrepancy with the formerly recommended value of 102 (5) years, which was based on a single experiment performed in 1956. The preliminary value obtained in this work, 123.2 (55) years, confirms the newly determined value of 125.2 (33) years by Collé et al. (2014) based on the observation of inconsistencies in decay-corrected activity measurements of a 209Po solution over time. The error in the half-life has an impact on numerous measurements in which aged 209Po solutions were used as a tracer.JRC.D.4-Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguard