METHOD FOR TRANSMUTATION OF LONG-LIVED RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES INTO SHORT-LIVED OR STABLE ISOTOPES

摘要

The invention relates to nuclear physics and can be used for neutralizing long-lived radioactive isotopes contained, for example, in radioactive wastes of the nuclear engineering. A radioactive isotope undergoes exposure to electromagnetic radiation and a deep ionization of the isotope atoms is performed. Deep ionization of the isotope atoms results in an energy-permitted expedient beta -decay of their nucleus which is prohibited in a neutral state of said atoms. Measures are taken in order to prevent ionized atoms from recombination with short-lived nucleus. The retention time must be long enough to transmit at least a part of the parent nucleus into the short-lived and stable daughter nucleus. The inventive method makes it possible to speed up the transmutation of the long-lived radioactive isotopes without using nuclear collisional reactions accompanied by the production of radioactive co-products.