The 146Sm half-life re-measured: consolidating the chronometer for events in the early Solar System

Abstract

The half-life of the extinct radiolanthanide 146Sm, important for both geochronological and astrophysical applications, was re-determined by a combination of mass spectrometry and α-decay counting. Earlier studies provided only limited information on all potential factors that could influence the quantification of the half-life of 146Sm. Thus, special attention was given here to a complete documentation of all experimental steps to provide information about any possible artifacts in the data analysis. The half-life of 146Sm was derived to be 92.0 Ma ± 2.6 Ma, with an uncertainty coverage factor of k=1.