METHOD FOR TRANSMUTATION OF LONG-LIVING RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES INTO SHORT-LIVING OR STABLE ONES Russian patent published in 2001 - IPC

FIELD: nuclear physics; decontamination of radioactive wastes and the like from long-living radioactive isotopes. SUBSTANCE: transmutation of long-living radioactive isotopes into short-living or stable ones is conducted under the action of electromagnetic radiation. In the process, highly ionized atoms with energy- resolved hole of accelerated beta-decay are produced from atoms of long-living radioactive isotope and held in ionized state until transmutation of mother nuclei to daughter short-living or stable ones takes place. With coefficient of operating time k preset for daughter nuclei, atoms of long-living radioactive isotope are held in highly ionized state for at least time β, where β is lifetime of mother nuclei under accelerated beta-decay conditions. Electromagnetic radiation may be effected by beams of accelerated charged particles (electrons, protons, or ions) or by photon flux. Radiation by charged-particle beam may be combined with photonflux radiation. EFFECT: enhanced transmutation efficiency dispensing with nuclear reactions of collision character and avoiding formation of by-products. 7 cl, 1 dwg