Radon Emanation Phenomena: A Probabilistic Basis to Estimate Radon Emanation Coefficients Based on Its Zigzag Travel

Previous theoretical approaches based on mathematical models by other researchers to the subject of radon emanation assumed straight linear travel of radon generated in grains constituting rocks or soils. However, it is difficult for these approaches to explain high radon emanation coefficients for rocks or soils without the introduction of the ideas of radon indirect recoil or a threshold for imbedding into grains. Unlike them, the present authors proposed another hypothesis based on the idea of radon zigzag travel and elucidated high radon emanation in a previous paper. The radon zigzag travel is caused by many collisions of radon with atoms constituting the grains. The results of the theoretical calculation successfully supported the claims of nanopore presence by Rama and Moore and radium layer presence near grain surfaces by Krishnaswami and Seidemann in a unified manner. However, the present authors think there is still room to improve their theory and they want to entice researchers toward a better explanation of high radon emanation for rocks or soils. Therefore, they give a probabilistic basis for their hypothesis and make a comparison between radon emanation coefficients obtained on straight linear and zigzag travel models. before concluding with it validity check of the models.