EXPERIMENT AND OBSERVATION OF ISOTOPE AND ELEMENT SEPARATION IN A PLASMA WITH COSMICAL APPLICATIONS

摘要

In the laboratory, strong isotope separation has earlier been found in rotating plasmas. In the solar system only slight variation in the isotope composition of different elements is found. Exceptions from this rule are the noble gases xenon, argon and helium. It is shown that the isotope separation observed in these gases can, in principle, be caused by centrifugal forces in plasmas. The results therefore suggest that not only nuclear processes but also plasma processes should be considered in connection with the origin of isotope and element abundance variations.