Part XI: Nuclear Processes

Radioactive Decay

The observation: Unstable isotopes spontaneously emit particles and radiation, transforming into different elements with characteristic half-lives.

The standard interpretation: Decay is probabilistic, governed by quantum mechanical tunneling through energy barriers. Each nucleus has a fixed probability per unit time of decaying.

The PSK interpretation: An unstable nucleus sees a more stable geometric configuration in its future density state. As it traverses into denser space, the current configuration is not the minimum-energy path. The nucleus sheds what does not fit the more stable geometry, leaving behind an "entropic correction" that we observe as emitted radiation or particles.

Half-life is not fundamental randomness but the rate at which nuclei encounter density thresholds where their configuration becomes geometrically inefficient. More complex or unstable configurations have more opportunities for this mismatch and thus shorter half-lives.

Nuclear Detonation

The observation: Compressing fissile material beyond critical mass triggers explosive chain reaction.

The standard interpretation: Compression increases neutron flux density, enabling self-sustaining fission.

The PSK interpretation: Compressing fissile material forces it into its future density state prematurely—pushing matter where it would naturally go via densification, but before it gets there on its own. This creates a geometric discontinuity between the matter’s configuration and its proper density state.

The "snapback"—the explosion—is matter violently resolving back toward equilibrium. The energy released is the cost of the geometric mismatch. Criticality calculations remain identical; PSK provides a geometric interpretation of what the mathematics describes.

Neutrinos

The observation: Neutrinos arrive from all directions, interact weakly with matter, have tiny mass, and are produced in nuclear reactions.

The standard interpretation: Neutrinos are fundamental particles produced in specific processes (beta decay, fusion, etc.).

The PSK interpretation: Stable matter continuously maintains its proper volume through the equilibrium of coalescence and divergence as it traverses densifying space. This is a dynamic process. Occasionally, the mapping from one density state to the next does not resolve perfectly—a geometric "slip" occurs. The atom leaves behind a tiny entropic correction: a neutrino.

This implies neutrinos are not only produced by nuclear reactions but by all matter, continuously, simply by existing and traversing densification. The flux should be proportional to the amount of matter, not its energy state. Neutrinos come from wherever matter is—from Earth, from the Sun (due to its greater mass, not primarily its fusion), from your own body.

The mapping errors from which neutrinos are ejected occur primarily in the nucleus, where the equilibrium maintenance is most demanding. Heavier, less stable nuclei have more complex equilibrium requirements and thus higher rates of mapping errors.

This explains why neutrinos arrive from every direction—matter is in every direction. Their weak interaction and tiny mass are consistent with being minimal geometric residue rather than conventional particles. They are the error term in matter’s continuous self-maintenance.