Triton memory time in solid DT and its nuclear polarization

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · Fusion Technol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5910687

Souers, P C; Fearon, E M; Mapoles, E R; Gaines, J R; Sater, J D; Collins, G W; Sherman, R H; Bartlit, J R

The expected value of nuclear spin polarization to inertial confinement fusion is recapitulated. A comparison of brute force polarization versus dynamic nuclear polarization, as applied to solid deuterium-tritium, is given, and the need for a long triton polarization memory time (longitudinal nuclear relaxation time) is shown. The time constant for 25 mol%T/sub 2/-50 DT-25 D/sub 2/ (D-T) is a short 0.3 s at 5 K and waiting in the presence of tritium radioactivity lowers it to 0.1 s. Enriched 90 to 96% molecular DT has been synthesized and held 3 to 4 hours at 10 K, which lowers the overall J = 1 T/sub 2/ concentration to about 0.1%. The resulting memory time can be raised in this way to 0.7 to 0.8 s. These samples were then melted and nH/sub 2/ added, which increased the memory times to 6 to 8 s - an increase of twenty-fold over regular D-T at 5 to 6 K. The theory shows that the species shortening the triton memory time is the J = 1 T/sub 2/, which can be reduced in our samples only by radioactive self-catalysis. Cryogenic distillation is considered as a possible means of removing the J = 1 T/sub 2/ from molecular DT.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA); Hawaii Univ., Honolulu, HI (USA). Dept. of Physics; Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (USA). Dept. of Physics; Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5910687
• Journal Information: Fusion Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Fusion Technol.; (United States) Vol. 14:2; ISSN FUSTE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
400702 -- Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry-- Properties of Radioactive Materials
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700205* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Fuel
Heating
& Injection Systems
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHARGED-PARTICLE REACTIONS
CONFINEMENT
CRYOGENICS
DATA
DEUTERIUM TRITIDE
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PARTICLE PROPERTIES
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
POLARIZATION
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOISOTOPES
SPIN
SYNTHESIS
THEORETICAL DATA
TRITIUM
TRITON REACTIONS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES