A Pandora's Box: Carbon-14 vicious cycle from transmutation

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The discussion centers on a proposed concept of a transmutation cycle involving Carbon-14, initiated by a neutron source that influences atmospheric conditions. The idea suggests that certain isotopes in the air could lead to a self-sustaining reaction, resulting in a significant concentration of Nitrogen-13 and altering the balance of Oxygen-16. Despite initial intrigue, the proposal is largely dismissed as pseudoscientific, lacking credible evidence or clarity in the described processes. Attempts to calculate the feasibility of these reactions yield inconclusive results. Ultimately, the thread concludes with a definitive rejection of the concept's validity.
MercurysilverFalcon
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Hello Physics community I know this comes off as pseudoscience but think about it for a second.

Couple years a ago a colleague explained during a conversation how a neutron source wich emmites certain fast and slow neutrons could cause a transmutation vicious cycle of in Atmospheric conditions.
Hello Physics community I know this comes off as pseudoscience but think about it for a second.

Couple years a ago a colleague explained during a conversation how a neutron source wich emmits certain fast and slow neutrons could cause a transmutation vicious cycle in Atmospheric conditions that lead to a disturbed carbon-14 production by utilizing a reaction that causes Oxygen-17 concentration to spike by production of short lived high energy gamma emitting decay of isotopes of elements that are present in air.

At some point transmutation becomes self sustaining and spreads due to utilizing energy by cosmic radiation and the decay of Carbon-14 in the atmosphere after it has been enriched with certain decaying isotopes that provide high enough energy and energetic particles from the decay themselves.

He called it the pandoras box.

Ultimately you would have a Oxygen-16 to Nitrogen-16 transmutation through several processes which than decays back to Oxygen-16.

At some point there is a high concentration of Nitrogen-13 present which replaces basically Oxygen-16 temporarily in its core.

I can not remember the exact process he proposed so I can only be vague about which transmutation reactions specifically would be causing this but basically it was just a Neutron source of certain fast and slow Neutrons and certain energy levels of Gamma rays that are used as a starting source in atmospheric air.

It seemed logical when he explained it to me.
Out of curiosity I tried to do some calculations utilizing certain Isotopes of elements in the air that could be subject to transmutation and taking Carbon-14 into account but I can not even get close to what he proposed to me back then.
It was mainly Fluor, Nitrogen, Oxygen and had something to do with Sulfur and Silicon Isotopes.

I am not looking for a specific reaction but rather just someone saying "Yes this exists" or "I have heard of that".

Or Maybe someone has some ideas popping up while reading this.

I know this sounds very basic and pseudoscientific like a villain trying to rob the atmosphere of Oxygen kind of plot but if it had not been plausible and logical to me back then I would not have thought of it as concurring.
 
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MercurysilverFalcon said:
I know this sounds very basic and pseudoscientific

Yes, it does. While there may be some kernel of truth here, the vast majority of it makes no sense. Thread locked.
 
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