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I can't vouch for the expertise of the interviewee. But it strikes me as highly doubtful, given his educational and professional back-ground, that he would be guilty of some of the errors he is being charged with by the posters here. The posters themselves are sometimes guilty of mistaken assumptions and outright errors in their "critical analysis".
Just to cite one egregious example, among many possible instances: Reader crumley states that "beta and gamma decay are different. Another error in this article is the numerous times it says 'beta gamma' decay or activity. Beta decay and gamma decay are two different types of radioactive decay."
Where to begin? Well, first off, there is no such thing as "gamma decay". There are three kinds of decay events that result in the transmutation of an isotope of one element into one or more isotopes of another element, or elements. They are:
(1.) Fission: Fission can be spontaneous or induced. It is induced when a nucleus is struck by a neutron of just the right energy (it is not just a matter of brute force; the target nucleus behaves approximately like a liquid that separates into two droplets). The target nucleus splits apart into two smaller nuclei of different atomic number and weight (different elements).
(2.) Alpha Decay: This is a special case of spontaneous fission of an unstable nucleus (unstable means basically the same thing as "short half-life"). A particle consisting of two protons and two neutrons (Helium nucleus) is emitted. The atomic number of the emitting nucleus has been reduced by two, making it a different element, and its atomic weight has been reduced by four (approximately, as there is a tiny amount of binding energy/ mass involved, as well).
(3.) Beta Decay: A nucleus is transmuted into an isotope of another element when a single unstable neutron undergoes spontaneous decay (the neutron is unstable due to complex tensions involving the relative proportions of protons and neutrons, and the amount of binding energy present; effectively, it is behaving as though it were "free", as all free neutrons will undergo decay at a random rate clustered around an average neutron half-life). In beta, the decaying nucleus emits a single electron and a single gamma photon of discrete energy. By emitting an electron (charge -1) the neutron is transmuted into a proton (charge +1). The nucleus now has an atomic number that is one less than it had originally, and is now an isotope of a different element.
The interviewee's use of the term "beta gamma" is correct. There are several kinds of events that can produce gamma photons-- e.g., matter/ anti-matter annihilation. Each kind of event has its own characteristic-- i.e., discrete-- frequency or energy. The origin and characteristic energy of the gamma photon emitted in a beta decay event is what qualifies it as "beta gamma".
Those who are arguing that this article is "not up to Salon's standards", need to go back to the drawing board; or, perhaps more to the point, a more advanced textbook than the one they've been reading.
wmsberry@charter.net
