Determination of the 151Sm half-life

International audienceNew measurements have been undertaken to determine the half-life of Sm-151. A pure Sm-151 solution was obtained after chemical separation from a samarium solution resulting from the dissolution of an irradiated samarium sample. The concentration of Sm-151 in the solution was measured by mass spectrometry, combined with the isotope dilution technique. The activity of the solution was measured by liquid scintillation counting by six European laboratories as part of an international comparison. These combined results lead to a half-life of T-1/2 = 94.6(6) a