Calibration of the 67 keV mössbauer resonance of73Ge

Using the first-principles scalar-relativistic LMTO method, we have calculated the electronic structure of crystalline Ge and rutile-structured GeO₂. By comparing the calculated electron contact densities with experimental isomer shifts of the 67 keV transition of⁷³Ge in these materials, we obtain a value for the relative change in the nuclear radius of ΔR/R=(7.4±0.7)×10⁻⁴. The results of the present work are compared with previous attempts to calibrate this isomeric transition.