Triton memory time in solid DT and its nuclear polarization

Conference · Sun May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6964235

Souers, P C; Fearon, E M; Mapoles, E R; Sater, J D; Collins, G W; Gaines, J R; 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 mo1%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. 33 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6964235
• Report Number(s): UCRL-97405-Rev.1; CONF-880505-19-Rev.1; ON: DE88012234
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700205* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Fuel
Heating
& Injection Systems
700208 -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Inertial Confinement Technology
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CONFINEMENT
DEUTERIUM
EXPECTATION VALUE
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORIENTATION
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
RADIOISOTOPES
RELAXATION TIME
SPIN ORIENTATION
STABLE ISOTOPES
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TRITIUM
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES