Radioisotope source selection

    Hi /sci/,

    I'm planning to assess radioisotopes decay as a random number source.

    The idea is to measure the time between 3 consecutive decay events using a scintillometer or a geiger counter. If the time between event 1 & 2 is smaller than 2&3, send a '1' bit. If the time Btween events 1&2 is greater than 2&3, send a '0' bit. Don't send anything if time is evaluated as equal.

    My current problem is to find an as strong as possible α, β, or β- source (20'000 C/M would be sufficient for my use) which is also a low X & γ ray source, as it is easy to confine the three first types of rays.

    α, β, or β- events should be at least 500 keV to be properly detectable by the detection equipment.

    Once confined (in a 1/4" steel & boron alloy enclosure), the residual exposition MUST NOT exceed 1mSv per year to ensure safety and compliance with regulations.

    Indeed, buying the material should not be subject to excessive red tape, no price limit.

    This said, do you have any ideas of what could be selected for that?

Plants that reduce radioactivity

Seventeen microalgae, aquatic plants and algae that can efficiently remove radioactive caesium, iodine and strontium from the environment have been identified by Japanese scientists. The findings are among options that could help to decrease radio-pollution in the Fukushima area.

   Because these plant strains are easy to harvest and dry, they could be potentially useful to recovering radioactive caesium from a huge volume of radio-polluted water, said Springer's Journal of Plant Research, which presented research by Japanese experts on the effects of radioactivity on nature and society following the nuclear disaster.

   Such measures are of the utmost importance, it said, because a large quantity of radioactivity has been released into the atmosphere. At the same time, the volume of radio-polluted water is increasing daily because of the continuous injection of cool water and the incurrent flow of underground water into the still-defective reactor.