title: Do radioactive half-lives vary with the Earth-to-Sun distance?
abstract: Recently, Jenkins, Fischbach and collaborators have claimed evidence that radionuclide half-lives vary systematically over a ±0.1% range as a function of the oscillating distance between the Earth and the Sun, based on multi-year activity measurements. We have avoided the time-dependent instabilities to which such measurements are susceptible by directly measuring the half-life of (198)Au (t(1/2)=2.695 d) on seven occasions spread out in time to cover the complete range of Earth-Sun distances. We observe no systematic oscillations in half-life and can set an upper limit on their amplitude of ±0.02%.
authors.affiliation: Cyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3366, USA. hardy@comp.tamu.edu
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Goodwin
authors.forename: V E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Iacob
mesh_terms: D018534:Earth, Planet; D006050:Gold Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D006207:Half-Life; D038622:Internationality; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011874:Radiometry / Q000592:standards*; D012015:Reference Standards; D012016:Reference Values; D016082:Solar System
chemical_list: D006050:Gold Radioisotopes