On the possibility of accelerating α decay: To the problem of disposing of radioactive nuclear waste

A number of experimental tests of the recent information on the possibility of accelerating α decay by implanting α-emitting isotopes into metals with their further cooling to a low temperature were performed using the nuclear orientation technique. The measurement data on half-lives for 253Es in Fe at 4 K and 50 mK, 224Rn, 225Ra, and 227Ac in Fe at temperatures down to 25 mK, and 221Fr in nonmetal (Si) and metal (Au) at 4 K and ∼20 mK are reviewed. In all cases, no change in half-life was found within an accuracy of 1%.