Study of nuclear decays during a solar eclipse: Thule Greenland 2008

Recent efforts to determine the cause of anomalous experimental nuclear decay fluctuations suggests a possible solar influence. Here we report on the results from several nuclear decay experiments performed at Thule Air Base in Greenland during the solar eclipse on 1 August 2008. Thule was ideal for this experiment due to its proximity to the magnetic north pole which amplified changes in the charged particle flux and provided relatively stabilized conditions for nearly all environmental factors. An exhaustive list of relevant factors were monitored during the eclipse to help rule out possible systematic effects in the event of unexpected results. We included measurements of temperature, pressure, and humidity as well as power supply outputs, neutron count rates, and the Earth’s local electric and magnetic fields. Nuclear decay measurements of 14C, 90Sr, 99Tc, 210Bi, 234Pa, and 241Am were made using Geiger-Muller (GM) ionization chambers. Although our data exhibit no evidence for a statistically significant change in the decay rate of any nuclide measured during the 1 August 2008 solar eclipse, small anomalies remain to be understood.