94-Pu-238
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 n-XS summary
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 element
94-plutonium-238

Plutonium-238 has safely powered at least 20 NASA spacecraft since 1972.
  • Atomic Mass: 238.0495534 +- 0.0000021 amu
  • Excess Mass: 46158.688 +- 1.982 keV
  • Binding Energy: 1801274.921 +- 2.008 keV
  • Beta Decay Energy: B- -2258.350 +- 50.688 keV
"The 1995 update to the atomic mass evaluation" by G.Audi and A.H.Wapstra, Nuclear Physics A595 vol. 4 p.409-480, December 25, 1995.
  • Spin: 0+
  • Half life: 87.7 years
  • Mode of decay: Alpha to U-234
    • Decay energy: 5.593 MeV
  • Mode of decay: SF
    • Branch ratio: 1.9E-7 %

    Meta state at 2.400 Mev
  • Half life: 0.6 ns
  • Mode of decay: SF
    • Branch ratio: <=100.00 %
    • Decay energy: 0 0.000 MeV

    Meta state at 3.500 Mev
  • Spin: (0+)
  • Half life: 6.0 ns
  • Mode of decay: SF
    • Branch ratio: <=100.00 %
    • Decay energy: 0 0.000 MeV

  • Possible parent nuclides:
    Beta from Np-238
    Electron capture from Am-238
    Alpha from Cm-242
R.R.Kinsey, et al.,The NUDAT/PCNUDAT Program for Nuclear Data,paper submitted to the 9 th International Symposium of Capture-Gamma_raySpectroscopy and Related Topics, Budapest, Hungary, Octover 1996.Data extracted from NUDAT database (Jan. 14/1999)