Half-life measurements of lutetium-176 using underground HPGe-detectors.

The half-life of (176)Lu was determined by measuring the (176)Lu activity in metallic lutetium foils. Three different HPGe-detectors located 225 m underground were employed for the study. Measurements using the sum-peak method were performed and resulted in an average massic activity of (52.61±0.36) Bq g(-1). The foils were of natural isotopic abundance so using the massic activity and the value of the natural isotopic abundance of (2.59±0.01)%, a half-life of (3.722±0.029)×10(10)a could be calculated.