nagyepf
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Reverse alpha decay?
I am just thinking,say for example thorium 230 decays to radium 226.
But what will happen if radium 226 is hit by alpha particles?Will it be converted back to thorium 230?
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unionised
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It's possible, but the odds are astronomical for radium.
For lower mass elements it's part of the physics of stars.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_process
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nagyepf
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I know that for the lower mass elements but i am not sure for heavy elements.An interesting thing to know would be if its possible to make polinum 210
by exposing lead 206 to alpha radiation.
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clearly_not_atara
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The short answer is no; the long answer is that yes this happens occasionally but the cross-section is so small the yields will never be useful for
anything. It's like trying to make a lake by spraying water into the air and hoping it falls in the right place.
[Edited on 15-2-2020 by clearly_not_atara]
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G-Coupled
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This is to do with the small amount of 'barns' that Polonium-210 has, representing a small area of cross section?
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