Molecular Excitation in Beta Decay

Abstract

The theory of molecular excitation in beta decay is developed for the general case of a polyatomic molecule. Calculations of the daughter molecule vibrational excitation are carried through for diatomic molecules, and the results are presented graphically. Finally, the formation of the ${\left({\mathrm{He}}^3{\mathrm{H}}^3\right)}^{+}$ molecule ion in the decay of one nucleus of a tritium molecule is studied in detail. It is concluded that the ${\left({\mathrm{He}}^3{\mathrm{H}}^3\right)}^{+}$ ground electronic state vibrational spectrum should be observable in the light spontaneously emitted by tritium. For example, neglecting nonradiative transitions, one expects approximately ${10}^{14}$ photons per second to be radiated at wave number ≅2.35×${10}^3$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{-1\mathrm{}}$ by every gram of tritium in the 1→0 vibrational transition.