Physical discussion of the Mossbauer effect

In order to interpret the peculiarities of the Mossbauer effect, both an ap proach based on the wave nature of the emitted (or absorbed) gamma radiatio n and an approach based on its corpuscular nature are currently employed in the specialized literature. However, while the former appears to be contra dicted by the experimental evidence and by the uncertainty principle, the l atter appears to hit the target, provided one takes into account the zero-p oint momentum reservoir of the mechanical oscillators forming the crystal l attice. Such a reservoir, indeed, appears to lend itself to the interpretat ion of all kinds of microscopic elastic phenomena in solids. (C) 2000 Elsev ier Science B.V. All rights reserved.