Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Sulfur isotope enrichment by dissociative electron attachment

Journal Article · · Appl. Phys. Lett., v. 27, no. 8, pp. 474-475
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.88533· OSTI ID:4156032

A mechanism is proposed for sulfur isotope enrichment experiments with lasers combining the selective vibrational heating capabilities of the laser with the electron attachment properties of the SF$sub 6$ molecule. It is suggested that isotope enrichment may be achieved by selective vibrational heating of one isotopic molecule by the laser, followed by its dissociative electron capture and subsequent removal from the mixture. A reasonable estimate for the extent of selective vibrational heating, together with a slight extrapolation of the known temperature dependence for the SF$sup -$$sub 5$/SF$sub 6$$sup -$ branching ratio, indicates that enrichment ratios of the order of 4500 may be achievable by this process.

Research Organization:
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
NSA Number:
NSA-33-002630
OSTI ID:
4156032
Journal Information:
Appl. Phys. Lett., v. 27, no. 8, pp. 474-475, Journal Name: Appl. Phys. Lett., v. 27, no. 8, pp. 474-475; ISSN APPLA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English