Alpha decay in electron environments of increasing density: From the bare nucleus to compressed matter

The influence of the electron environment on the α decay is elucidated. Within the frame of a simple model based on the generalized Thomas-Fermi theory of the atom, it is shown that the increase of the electron density around the parent nucleus drives a mechanism which shortens the lifetime. Numerical results are provided for ¹⁴⁴Nd, ¹⁵⁴Yb and ²¹⁰Po. Depending on the nuclide, fractional lifetime reduction relative to the bare nucleus is of the order of 0.1-1% in free ions, neutral atoms and ordinary matter, but may reach up to 10% at matter densities as high as 10⁴g/cm³, in a high-Z matrix. The effect induced by means of state-of-the-art compression techniques, although much smaller than previously found, would however be measurable. The extent of the effect in ultra-high-density stellar environments might become significant and would deserve further investigation. (orig.)