Effect of laser radiation on the gamma activity of aqueous salt solutions containing 152Eu

We report an experimental study of the effect of laser irradiation of aqueous salt solutions containing the ¹⁵²Eu isotope in the presence of nickel nanoparticles on the gamma activity of the isotope. Nickel nanoparticles are generated using laser ablation of the target in water and added to the radionuclide solution before irradiation. Two types of Nd : YAG lasers with a pulse duration of 10 ns and different repetition rates are used to irradiate the solutions. It is found that the ¹⁵²Eu activity as a result of repeated irradiation of solutions by a series of pulses decreases with each irradiation cycle. The obtained results are compared with data on the effect of maser radiation with a wavelength of 8 mm on the activity of the same isotope. Possible mechanisms of the effect of electromagnetic radiation on the ¹⁵²Eu gamma activity are discussed.