At what eV will electrons induce Be-10 decay?

[RaymondKennethPetry]

Nuclear-powered spaceflight is the obvious choice for this century, but the few safe-choice fuels have little experimental documentation ...

Be-10 might be the best at 556KeV and half-life of 1.51Myr ... β-chaining if possible ...

At what eV will accelerated electrons induce Be-10 nuclei to decay ... Is there an eV-vs.-emission rate plot?

Ray.

 

[Astronuc]

It would be impractical to have an electron accelerator to induce beta decay of any radionuclide. Simply the mass of the accelerator would be a significant detriment. Secondly, the 556 keV per 10 amu represents much less energy than fission 200 MeV / 236 amu.

Another problem with electron scattering of a nucleus is the fact that the accelerated electrons will interact (scatter and lose energy) with the atomic electrons, so basically one would have to put more energy in that would be obtained from the beta decay.

 

[ravenprp]

The exact energy required for electrons to induce Be-10 decay cannot be determined without experimental data. However, based on its half-life of 1.51 million years and known decay modes, it is likely that an energy of around 556 KeV would be needed. This energy level is commonly associated with beta decay, which is one of the possible decay modes for Be-10.

In terms of nuclear-powered spaceflight, Be-10 may indeed be a viable option due to its relatively long half-life and potential for beta decay. However, as mentioned, there is limited experimental documentation on its use as a fuel for this purpose. Further research and testing would be necessary to determine its effectiveness and safety in this application.

As for an eV-vs.-emission rate plot, this would also require experimental data and cannot be determined without it. The exact relationship between energy and emission rate would depend on various factors such as the specific decay mode and the environment in which the Be-10 nuclei are present. Again, further experimentation would be needed to accurately plot this relationship.