Alpha-emission of nuclei oriented on-line

The technical realization of particle detection at very low temperatures (4K) has made it possible to study for the first time the anisotropic α-decay of oriented nuclei which have been produced, separated and implanted on line. The measured α-angular distribution reveal surprising new results on nuclear aspects as well as in solid state physics. The nuclear structure information from these data questions the older α-decay theoretical interpretation and urges for more theoretical studies and a reexamination of the earliest work on anisotropic α-decay. (orig.)