Decays of atomic nuclei are potential sources of information on fundamental phenomena occurring in the quantum world. Unfortunately it is a rather difficult task to model such processes. Yet National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) physicists have successfully simulated the process of neutron→proton conversion in singly ionized 6He atom nucleus and correctly predicted its impact on the atomic orbital sole electron. Theoretical calculations were recently confirmed by an experiment performed in the GAEN accelerator centre in Caen (France). That way the sudden approximation calculation method (one of the oldest methods employed to solve quantum mechanics problems) was directly validated.
Nucleus of a 6He ion is composed of two protons and four neutrons. In a singly ionized ion the nucleus is orbited by a single electron. Surplus of neutrons makes such nuclei unstable, they undergo the so-called beta-minus decays in which one of the neutrons is transformed into a proton. To preserve electric charge, an electron is emitted from the decaying nucleus. Each emitted electron is accompanied by an electron anti-neutrino. In effect, a stable 6Li nucleus (still orbited by a single electron) is produced.
R & D Magazine: Shaking the electron has strengthened quantum mechanics
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