Item #691 Selection Rules for the -Disintegration in Physical Review 49, 15 June 1936, pp. 895-899. G. Gamow, E. Teller.

Selection Rules for the -Disintegration in Physical Review 49, 15 June 1936, pp. 895-899

Lancaster: American Institute of Physics, 1936. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL WRAPS. “In 1934, Enrico Fermi provided the first theoretical explanation of beta decay through a mechanism called the “Fermi interaction” or “Fermi coupling,” incorporating Pauli’s “neutron” and coining the name “neutrino” for that particle. Fermi’s theory of the weak interaction was incomplete, but inspired work that led to more complete theories” (History of Physics: The Wenner Collection). Further study by Fermi demonstrated a type of beta decay he would name Fermi transitions and the work put forth in this 1936 Gamow and Teller would demonstrated two more types of beta decay, known now as Gamow–Teller transitions and mixed transitions.

The theoretical work in describing these transitions was done between 1934 and 1936 by Gamow and Teller at George Washington University. As they worked to modify Fermi’s original theory, Gamow and Teller noticed that Fermi’s original selection rule did not include any possible effect of nuclear spin. After applying the Konopinski-Uhlenbeck modification, their work now “required an axial vector form of the interaction, as opposed to Fermi’s original vector form. It was realized somewhat later that the tensor form would also work.

A Gamow–Teller transition, then, is a type of nuclear beta decay in which the spins of the emitted electron and antineutrino couple to total spin, leading to an angular momentum change between the initial and final states of the nucleus. This contrasts with a Fermi transition, in which the spins of the emitted particles couple to and so the angular momentum of the initial and final states are unchanged. As Gamow and Teller wrote: “We can now show that the new selection rules help us to remove the difficulties which appeared in the discussion of nuclear spins of radioactive elements by using the original selection rule of Fermi” (Gamow and Teller 1936, 897).

Since its postulation in 1936, the Gamow Teller interaction has continued to expand in significance in part because of its involvement in both weak and strong interaction theory. Item #691

CONDITION & DETAILS: Original wraps. Lancaster: The American Physical Society. 4to (10.5 x 8 inches; 263 x 200mm). Small closed tear at the outer margin (only) that works its way from front to back. Additionally, there is a two inch long, 1/8 inch wide area missing from the upper margin (only) that works its way through about a third of the issue. The issue is otherwise bright and clean. Good condition only with price reflecting state.

Price: $90.00