Non-Radiative Triggering of Long-Lived Nuclear Isomers

The triggering of long-lived isomeric nuclei by non-radiative excitation to a relatively short-lived mediating state is considered. Coulomb triggering in inelastic scattering of heavy ions, a transfer of triggering energy from resonant electron transitions of atomic shell (NEET) and triggering by capture of a free electron into a bound atomic state (NEEC) are discussed. Cross sections for the above processes of non-radiative triggering are presented and the relative efficiencies of these different triggering mechanisms are discussed. Numerical estimates are presented for the selected isomers. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.