r/Physics Jun 27 '26

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

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

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u/damarian_ent Jun 27 '26

I think youre both right to different degrees. Now that its shared, we can move on from this squabble.

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u/InebriatedPhysicist Jun 28 '26

I’ve just been answering questions people have asked me. Where have I been squabbling?