Dictionary

secular equilibrium en · NOUN

Meanings

1. (qualifier:nuclear physics) The situation of the quantity of a radioisotope remaining constant because it is produced (by decay of a parent isotope) at the same rate that it decays.
   • In decay schemes of this type, the following three conditions may predominate: (1) secular equilibrium, (2) transient equilibrium, and (3) the state of no equilibrium. 1998, Michael F. L'Annunziata, Handbook of Radioactivity Analysis, Academic Press, page 61:
   • The ^{₆₈}Ge/^{₆₈}Ga and the ^{₈₂}Sr/^{₈₂}Rb generators represent secular equilibria. 2016, Tobias L. Ross, Frank Roesch, “Life sciences: Nuclear medicine diagnosis”, in Frank Rösch, editor, Nuclear- and Radiochemistry, Volume 2: Modern Applications, Walter de Gruyter, page 443:
   • At the same time, because of differences in the chemistry of the daughter and parent elements involved in such secular equilibria, this parent:daughter ratio may not be equal to 1. 2020, David J. Burdige, Geochemistry of Marine Sediments, Princeton University Press, page 43:

Forms

Synonyms

radioactive equilibrium

Translations (4)

de säkulares Gleichgewicht (situation of the quantity of a radioisotope remaining constant) · fi sekulaarinen tasapaino (situation of the quantity of a radioisotope remaining constant) · fr équilibre séculaire (situation of the quantity of a radioisotope remaining constant) · it equilibrio secolare (situation of the quantity of a radioisotope remaining constant)