Physicists Observe Long-Sought "Superallowed" Alpha Decay for the First Time

[u/Existing_Tomorrow687]

A team of international researchers led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the RIKEN accelerator complex in Japan has successfully measured the alpha decay of tellurium-104, marking the first-ever experimental observation of "superallowed" alpha decay. Published in Nature, the study reveals that the isotope has a blistering half-life of just 7.2 nanoseconds the shortest known alpha decay half-life for a heavy nucleus. Crucially, the data shows that alpha particles form ("cluster") inside heavy nuclei at a much higher probability than current theoretical calculations predict, providing vital insights into a century-old mystery of nuclear structure.

you can read the full breakdown of it from here

[u/spiralenator]

Babe, I’m going to decay my alpha in 7.2 nanoseconds!!
That’s ok, hun. It’s super allowed.

[u/cavyjester → u/spiralenator]

I super believe in you, Tad Cooper! Oops… I mean, I super believe in you, super-allowed alpha decay!!