Experimental investigation of muon-catalyzed dt fusion at cryogenic temperatures

• Published in: Nuclear physics. A 1999-06, Vol.652 (4), p.311-338
• Main Authors: Ackerbauer, P., Werner, J., Breunlich, W.H., Cargnelli, M., Fussy, S., Jeitler, M., Kammel, P., Marton, J., Scrinzi, A., Zmeskal, J., Bistirlich, J., Crowe, K.M., Kurck, J., Petitjean, C., Sherman, R.H., Bossy, H., Daniel, H., Hartmann, F.J., Neumann, W., Schmidt, G., Faifman, M.P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atoms and molecules, muonic; Deuterium-tritium fusion reaction catalyzed by muons; Deuterium-tritium fusion reaction in muonic molecules; Excited state muon transfer; Measured neutron spectra; Muon catalyzed fusion; Muonic molecule formation; Nuclear reaction, 3H(d,n), E at rest
• ISSN: 0375-9474
• DOI: 10.1016/S0375-9474(99)00168-2

An experimental investigation of muon-catalyzed fusion ( μCF) in gaseous, liquid and solid mixtures of deuterium and tritium was performed. The target conditions included the range of densities of 0.03 ≲ φ ≲ 1.5, tritium concentrations of 2% ≲ c t ≲ 90% and temperatures of 13 ≲ T ≲ 40 K. The study was based on the analysis of observed cycling rates extracted from the measured time distributions of the fusion neutrons. For the first time, the density dependence of the rates λ ( dtμ) d 0 for the dtμ molecule formation in collisions of tμ atoms in the lower (F=0) hyperfine state with D 2 molecules was determined experimentally. Evidence for the proposed effects of below-threshold resonances on molecular formation was found. Measurements at low temperatures in mixtures of different molecular compositions revealed a clear predominance of the λ ( dtμ) d 0 formation rate. The probability q 1 s for dμ atoms to reach the ground state was determined as a function of density and tritium concentration.