RICHARD B. FIRESTONE

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Nuclear Science Division
Isotopes Project
Berkeley, CA 94720
Phone: (510)486-7646 Fax: (510)486-5757
E-mail: RBF@LBL.gov

EDUCATION

1974 Ph.D. Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
1967 B.S. Chemistry, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

1979 Staff Scientist, Nuclear Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
1978 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University
1974 Post doc Michigan State University, Cyclotron Laboratory
1969 Graduate Student Research Assistant, MSU Cyclotron Laboratory
1967 Graduate Student Assistant, MSU Department of Chemistry
1966 Research assistant University of Michigan Schoolof Public Health
1964 Summer research assistant NALCO Chemical Company
1961 Apprentice meatcutter, High-Low Foods, Chicago

CURRENT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Prompt and Delayed Gamma-Ray Activation Analysis (PGAA/NAA)

• Deep-Sea thermal vent Analysis
• Photochromic materials analysis
• Analysis of archaeological artifacts
• Nondestructive, in situ, Elemental Analysis of Legacy Waste
• Application of PGAA/NAA with a Neutron Generator

• Isotope Explorer Software
• Table of Isotopes Educational Home Page
• Nuclear Astrophysics Home Page
• WWW Table of Radioactive Isotopes

• Search for prehistoric supernovae
• Search for isotope abundance anomalies in Paleo-Indian artifacts

• 8th edition of the Table of Isotopes (Wiley, 1996, 1998, 1999)
• Table of Radioactive Isotopes (Wiley, 1986)
• IAEA Coordinated Research Project a for PGAA database
• Nuclear Data Sheets evaluation
• Table of Superdeformed Nuclear Bands and Fission Isomers
• Databases: Science's Neglected Legacy

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Over 200 publications in over 30 journals and books; list available here.

1. R.B. Firestone, V.S. Shirley, C.M. Baglin, S.Y.F. Chu, and J. Zipkin, Table of Isotopes, 8th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York (1996, 1998, 1999); with CD-ROM.
2. D.L. Perry, R.B. Firestone, G.L. Molnar, Zs. Revay, Zs. Kasztovszky, R.C. Gatti, and P. Wilde, Neutron-Induced Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) of Metals and Non-metals in Ocean Floor Geothermal Vent-generated Samples, J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 16, 1-7 (2001).
3. S.M. Mauer, R.B. Firestone, and C.R. Scriver, Databases: Science's Neglected Legacy, Nature 405, 116 (2000).
4. R.B. Firestone Nuclear Data Sheets for A=267-293, Nuclear Data Sheets 90, 391 (2000).
5. E. Browne, R.B. Firestone, and V.S. Shirley, Table of Radioactive Isotopes, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York (1986).
6. R.B. Firestone, R.C. Pardo, R.A. Warner, Wm. C. McHarris, and W.H. Kelly, The EC/B+ Decay of ¹⁴⁵Gd: Resolution of EC/B+ Anomalies and Evidence for Pronounced Structures in the B-decay Strength, Phys. Rev. C25, 527 (1982).
7. R.B. Firestone, Complex Beta-Decay Schemes: Pandemonium Lost and Paradise Regained, Phys. Lett. 113B, 129 (1982).
8. M.K. Firestone, R.B. Firestone, J.M. Tiedje, Nitrous Oxide from Soil Denitrification: Factors Controlling its Biological Production, Science 208, 749 (1980).
9. R.B. Firestone, Wm. C. McHarris, and B.R. Holstein, Interpretation of the Anomalous EC/B+ Ratio in ²²Na, Phys. Rev. C18, 2719 (1978).
10. R.B. Firestone, Nuclear Data Sheets for A=183, Nucl. Data Sheets 65, 589 (1992).
11. R.B. Firestone, J. Gilat, J.M. Nitschke, P.A. Wilmarth, and K.S. Vierinen, Decay Studies of Neutron-Deficient Nuclei near the Z=64 Subshell: ¹⁴²Dy, ^140,142Tb, ^140,142Eu, ¹⁴²Sm, and ¹⁴²Pm, Phys. Rev. C43, 1066 (1991).
12. B. Singh, R.B. Firestone, and S.Y.F. Chu, Table of Superdeformed Nuclear Bands and Fission Isomers, Second Edition, Nucl. Data Sheets 78,1 (1996).

Recent Invited Talks

1. Nuclear Astrophysics Data on the Internet, Nuclei in the Cosmos V, July 9, 1998, Volos, Greece.
2. Was the Wooly Mammoth a Victim of Cosmic Events?, Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics Seminar, December 10, 1999, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
3. The Nuclear Science Databases: 60 Years of Community Service keynote address presented at the Human Genome Organization Mutation Database Meeting, Vancouver CA, April 9, 2000.
4. Prompt Neutron Activation Analysis (PGAA): Nondestructive, Simultaneous, In Situ, Quantitative, Complete Isotopic/Elemental Analysis of Almost Anything, Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics Seminar, November 17, 2000, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
5. Did a Supernova in Paleo-Indian Times Reset the Radiocarbon Clock?, YnK Conservation: Time, the Overlooked Dimension Wildlife & Conservation Biology Seminar, March 2, 2001, University of California, Berkeley.
6. Application of Prompt Gamma-Ray Activation Analysis (PGAA) with a Portable Neutron Source,August 28, 2001, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
7. Prehistoric Supernovae, Nuclear Physics Forum, October 25, 2001, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
8. Cosmic Consequences for Radiocarbon Dating, Archaeological Research Faculty Lecture, Archeometry Network 2001-02 Series, October 29, 2001, University of California, Berkeley.

Awards and Societies

1. Member American Physical Society 1965-Present
2. Member Sigma Xi 1977-Present
3. LBNL Outstanding Performance Award 1998

Public Service

1. Member of El Cerrito High School II/USP Leadership Team
2. El Cerrito Soccer Club coach
3. Kensington School Science Fair judge