Methodological Study on Change in Half Life of ²¹⁰Po Embedded in a Metallic Medium at Ultra-Low Temperature

It has been claimed that the half-life of radioactive nuclides embedded in metals may be significantly affected by the screening of quasi-free electrons provided by the metals, especially at the cryogenic temperature. We determine the α-decay half-life values of ²¹⁰Po in high purity metallic bismuth at 4.2 K and 293 K. The results show that the α-decay half-life of ²¹⁰Po at T=4.2 K is about (24 ±8)% shorter than that at room temperature.