Mössbauer Effect: Remembering an Advanced Lab Experiment

[dlgoff]

TL;DR Summary

Mössbauer effect

I've been thinking back to my undergraduate courses in physics. One course, Advanced Lab, required sending a small Fe sample to the core of a small nuclear reactor just off campus, then run it back to the lab before it decayed to much to observe the Mössbauer effect. That reactor had to be dismantled a few years later due to public controversy. Now I'm going to search through some boxes to see if I still have the write up to that experiment. Those were the good old times.

 

[Astronuc]

Summary:: Mössbauer effect

Now I'm going to search through some boxes to see if I still have the write up to that experiment. Those were the good old times.

I did Mössbauer spectroscopy in an undergrad physics lab course. I probably too still have the paperwork.

 

[dlgoff]

I did Mössbauer spectroscopy in an undergrad physics lab course.

Did you use Fe also? How did you make it radioactive? Just curious.

 

[Astronuc]

Did you use Fe also? How did you make it radioactive? Just curious.

I don't remember, but Mn comes to mind. I'd have to find the paperwork.

 

[dlgoff]

I don't remember, but Mn comes to mind. I'd have to find the paperwork.

That's okay. Knowing you did the experiment is cool enough.

 

[Astronuc]

That's okay. Knowing you did the experiment is cool enough.

That was 43+ years ago.

Over the years, I've come across some of the paperwork from back then, but I have so much now stored in various boxes, and my library and number of storage boxes have grown considerably over 4+ decades.

 

[dlgoff]

That was 43+ years ago.

Over the years, I've come across some of the paperwork from back then, but I have so much now stored in various boxes, and my library and number of storage boxes have grown considerably over 4+ decades.

I know exactly what you mean. I'm not telling how many years ago it was for me though. :)