Determination of the 241Pu half-life by isotope mass spectrometry

Abstract

The decrease in the ²⁴¹Pu/²⁴⁰Pu isotope ratio and in the ratio of the isotope ratios (²⁴¹Pu/²⁴⁰Pu)/(²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu) due to the β-decay of ²⁴¹Pu was measured by high-precision isotope mass spectrometry over a period of six years on a 93% isotopically enriched sample. The resulting value for the ²⁴¹Pu half-life is 14.33 ± 0.02 years.