RE: "Gamma Rays of Doom"

[Mike McNaughton <mcnaught@lanl.gov>]

>As far as the Pu-244 goes this does not sound right to me.
>
Pu-239 is made from U-238 by absorbing a neutron and waiting a few days for
the U-239 to decay first to Np-239 and then to Pu-239. Pu-244 is made from
Pu-239 by abosorbing 5 neutrons within a few hours; (i.e. in such a short
time that the Pu-243 does not have time to decay to Am-243). I agree that
this process is unlikely to happen as a result of the merging of two
neutron stars.


"Shlala gashle" (Zulu greeting, meaning "Stay safe")
mike (mcnaught@LANL.GOV)