Radiation effect of neutrons produced by D–D side reactions on a D–3He fusion reactor

One of the most important characteristics in D–³He fusion reactors is neutron production via D–D side reactions. The neutrons can activate structural material, degrading them and ultimately converting them into high-level radioactive waste, while it is really costly and difficult to remove them. The neutrons from a fusion reactor could also be used to make weapons-grade nuclear material, rendering such types of fusion reactors a serious proliferation hazard. A related problem is the presence of radioactive elements such as tritium in D–³He plasma, either as fuel for or as products of the nuclear reactions; substantial quantities of radioactive elements would not only pose a general health risk, but tritium in particular would also be another proliferation hazard. The problems of neutron radiation and radioactive element production are especially interconnected because both would result from the D–D side reaction. Therefore, the presentation approach for reducing neutrons via D–D nuclear side reactions in a D–³He fusion reactor is very important. For doing this research, energy losses and neutron power fraction in D–³He fusion reactors are investigated. Calculations show neutrons produced by the D–D nuclear side reaction could be reduced by changing to a more ³He-rich fuel mixture, but then the bremsstrahlung power loss fraction would increase in the D–³He fusion reactor.     

Absence of neutron emission during interaction of deuterium with metal at low energies

Technique and instrumentation to detect reliably, multiplicity of neutrons emitted in sharp bursts (≤100 μs) has been developed where a burst of as low as 15 neutrons and continuous emission of ⋍10⁻¹ neutron/s may be detected. Using this technique, attempts were made to detect neutron emission from various experiments in which anomalous nuclear effects (or what is commonly referred to as cold fusion) may be expected to occur. No neutrons, above our detection threshold, were detected in the recent series of experiments.     

Search for neutrons from ‘cold nuclear fusion’

We have searched for neutrons from a Pd-electrode loaded with deuterium in electrolysis setups similar to those of Fleischmann and Pons [1] and Jones et al. [2]. Within the sensitivity of our neutron detection system corresponding to a neutron source strength of 5 x 10^{? 2} neutrons/s we did not find any neutrons due to ‘cold nuclear fusion’. We emphasize the necessity of using several independent neutron detectors.     

Activation Characteristics of Fuel Breeding Blanket Module in Fusion Driven Subcritical System

Shortage of energy resources and production of long-lived radioactivity wastes from fission reactors are among the main problems which will be faced in the world in the near future. The conceptual design of a fusion driven subcritical system (FDS) is underway in Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. There are alternative designs for multi-functional blanket modules of the FDS, such as fuel breeding blanket module (FBB) to produce fuels for fission reactors, tritium breeding blanket module to produce the fuel, i.e. tritium, for fusion reactor and waste transmutation blanket module to try to permanently dispose of long-lived radioactivity wastes from fission reactors, etc. Activation of the fuel breeding blanket of the fusion driven subcritical system (FDSFBB) by D-T fusion neutrons from the plasma and fission neutrons from the hybrid blanket are calculated and analysed under the neutron wall loading 0.5 MW/m2 and neutron fluence 15 MW.yr/m2. The neutron spectrum is calculated with the worldwide-used transport code MCNP/4C and activation calculations are carried out with the well known European inventory code FISPACT/99 with the latest released IAEA Fusion Evaluated Nuclear Data Library FENDL-2.0 and the ENDF/B-V uranium evaluated data. Induced radioactivities, dose rates and afterheats, etc, for different components of the FDS-FBB are compared and analysed.     

Transfer and fusion reactions of unstable nuclei

The transfer and fusion reactions are studied for reactions between a stable and an unstable nucleus with neutron skin, taking as examples the reactions ^16,28O+⁴⁰Ca. The two-dimensional time-dependent Hartree-Fock method is used. It is shown that, in such reactions, the nucleon transfer is enhanced enormously for both protons and neutrons. The neutron skin does not enhance the fusion cross section contrary to the usual expectation.     

2.5-MeV neutron source controlled by high-intensity pulsed laser generating plasma

A laptop neutron source suited for the most demanding field or laboratory applications is presented. It is based on laser ablation of CD₂ primary targets, plasma acceleration of the D⁺ ions, and their irradiation of secondary CD₂ targets. The deuterium–deuterium (D-D) fusion reaction is induced in the secondary target, according to the values of fusion cross-section versus deuteron energy, which show a significant probability also at relatively low ion energies. The experiments were completed in the PALS laboratory, Prague, detecting monoenergetic neutrons at 2.45 MeV with an emission flux of about 10⁹ neutrons per laser shot. Other experiments demonstrating the possibility to induce D-D events were performed at IPPLM, Warsaw, and at INFN-LNS, Catania, where the deuterons were accelerated at about 4 MeV and 50 keV, respectively. In the last case, a low laser intensity and a post-ion acceleration system were employed. A special interaction chamber, under vacuum, is proposed to develop a new source of monochromatic neutrons or thermalized distribution of neutrons     

Thermonuclear fusion in the irradiation of large clusters of deuterium iodide with a field of a superatomic femtosecond laser pulse

A theory of thermonuclear fusion caused by the irradiation of deuterium-iodide clusters with the field of a superatomic femtosecond laser pulse is developed. It is based on considering the process in which the sequential above-barrier multiple internal ionization of atomic ions within a cluster is accompanied by external field ionization. The theory is illustrated by taking the example of a cluster that is formed by 10⁶ molecules of deuterium iodide and which is irradiated with a laser pulse of duration 50 fs and intensity 2×10¹⁸ W/cm² at the peak. This case is dominated by I²⁶⁺ atomic ions. The yield of neutrons from thermonuclear fusion in a deuteron-deuteron collision upon the passage of a laser pulse is calculated. The result is 10⁵ neutrons per laser pulse. The mean kinetic energy of deuterons is estimated at 50 keV. Owing to induced inverse bremsstrahlung in scattering on multiply charged atomic ions, the electron temperature increases up to 28 keV. The role of the Mie resonance in the heating of the electron component is discussed.     

Hard X-ray bursts and DD microfusion neutrons from complex plasmas of vacuum discharge

We create the random complex media of high-power density in low-energy nanosecond vacuum discharges. Hard X-ray emission efficiency, generation of energetic ions (∼1 MeV) and neutrons, trapping and releasing of fast ions and/or X-rays from interelectrode aerosol ensembles are the subject of our study. The neutrons from DD microfusion, as well as the modelling of some interstellar nuclear burning due to microexplosive nucleosynthesis are discussed. The value of neutron yield from DD fusion in interelectrode space varies and amounts to ∼10^{5–10 7}/4π per shot under ≈ 1 J of total energy deposited to create all discharge processes Article presented at the International Conference on the Frontiers of Plasma Physics and Technology, 9–14 December 2002, Bangalore, India.     

Multi-nucleon transfer reactions and fusion with unstable nuclei

We show that a large number of neutrons are expected to be transferred from the projectile to the target if a neutron rich unstable nucleus with a neutron skin is used as the projectile in heavy-ion collisions at energies about twice the Coulomb barrier. We then show that though the neutron halo enhances the fusion cross section through the size effect, the additional effect due to the molecular bond formation is not significant in the fusion between ¹¹Li and ⁹Li at energies near and below the Coulomb barrier.     

Fast neutron emission from partial fusion heavy ion reactions

The Boltzmann master equation theory which succesfully reproduces the spectra of fast nucleons emitted in fusion and quasi-fusion heavy ion reactions is used to predict the spectra of fast nucleons in coincidence with a projectile-like fragment in the interaction of 35 MeV/ nucleon¹⁴N with¹⁶⁵Ho. In particular it is shown that the spectra of neutrons in coincidence with a high energy projectile-like fragment emitted at a very forward angle with energy corresponding to the beam velocity may be reproduced satisfactorily assuming an elastic breakup of the projectile followed by fusion of one of the fragments with the target nucleus.     

Asymmetric fission of the pre-actinide nuclei

Study of α particles, protons and neutrons emission in reactions induced by¹⁶O on Sn targets. The threshold for direct a emission is found to be v/c?0.04 (v velocity of the projectile at the top of the Coulomb barrier) whereas direct protons and neutrons, if any, would be emitted for beam energies higher than 7.8MeV/n. (v/c>0.092). Atv/c 0.092, 90% of the direct a cross section is shown to be incomplete fusion. On¹¹⁶Sn target, besides the main exit channels α4n and αp4n, we observed 2α4n and α2p4n channels where the direct α is followed by evaporation particles. This implies a lower initial angular momentum than for the main channels.     

Synthesis of superheavy elements at the Dubna gas-filled recoil separator

A survey of experiments at the Dubna gas-filled recoil separator (Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, JINR, Dubna) aimed at the detection and study of the “island of stability” of superheavy nuclei produced in complete fusion reactions of ⁴⁸Са ions and ²³⁸U–²⁴⁹Cf target nuclei is given. The problems of synthesis of superheavy nuclei, methods for their identification, and investigation of their decay properties, including the results of recent experiments at other separators (SHIP, BGS, TASCA) and chemical setups, are discussed. The studied properties of the new nuclei, the isotopes of elements 112–118, as well as the properties of their decay products, indicate substantial growth of stability of the heaviest nuclei with increasing number of neutrons in the nucleus as the magic number of neutrons N = 184 is approached.     

Molecular states in astrophysical processes of subbarrier fusion of neutron-rich nuclei

For the ⁶He + ¹²C nuclear collision, the method of molecular states of valence neutrons in dinuclear systems and the time-dependent quantum low-dimensional model confirm the predictions of the semiempirical model about a significantly enhanced fusion cross section in comparison with the ⁴He + ¹²C collision.     

Some peculiarities in the interaction of 6He with 197Au and 206Pb

Excitation functions were measured for fusion followed by the evaporation of neutrons in the reactions ²⁰⁶Pb(⁶He, 2 _n )²¹⁰Po and ¹⁹⁷Au(⁶He, xn)^203−xn T1, where x = 2−7, as well as for the transfer reactions on a ¹⁹⁷Au target with the formation of the ¹⁹⁶Au, ¹⁹⁸Au, and ¹⁹⁹Au isotopes. The experiment was carried out at the Dubna Radioactive Ion Beams (DRIBs) complex of FLNR, JINR. The ⁶He beam intensity was about 5 × 10⁶ pps, the maximum energy being (60.3 ± 0.4) MeV. A significant increase in the cross section was observed below the Coulomb barrier for the fusion reaction with the evaporation of two neutrons compared to statistical model calculations. Unusual behavior for the production of ¹⁹⁸Au is observed, whereas the cross section for the formation of ¹⁹⁹Au is very low. The analysis of the data in the framework of the statistical model for the decay of excited nuclei, which took into account the sequential fusion of ⁶He, has shown good agreement between the experimental and calculated values of the cross sections for the case of sub-Coulomb-barrier fusion in the ²⁰⁶Pb + ⁶He reaction. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Spontaneous fission of <Superscript>256</Superscript>Rf,new data

Spontaneous fission properties of the short-lived neutron-deficient ²⁵⁶Rf nucleus produced in the complete fusion reaction with a beam of multiply charged heavy ⁵⁰Ti ions from the U-400 cyclotron (FLNR, JINR) are experimentally investigated. Its half-life and decay branching ratio are measured. The average number of neutrons per spontaneous fission of ²⁵⁶Rf (\(\bar v = \;4.47 \pm \;0.09\)) is determined for the first time.     

A femtosecond neutron source

The possibility of using the ultrashort ion bunches produced by circularly polarized laser pulses to drive a source of fusion neutrons with sub-optical cycle duration is discussed. A two-sided irradiation of a deuterated thin foil target produces two counter-moving ion bunches, whose collision produces an ultrashort neutron burst. Using particle-in-cell simulations and analytical modeling, it is calculated that, for intensities of a few 10¹⁹ W cm^-2, more than 10³ neutrons per Joule may be producedwithin a time shorter than one femtosecond. Another scheme based on a layered deuterium-tritium target is outlined. PACS 24.90.+d; 29.25.Dz; 52.38.ph; 52.50.Jm     

Excitation functions for complete-fusion and transfer reactions in <Superscript>4</Superscript>He interaction with <Superscript>197</Superscript>Au nuclei

Excitation functions are measured for the fusion reactions ¹⁹⁷Au(⁴He, xn)^201?xn Tl that are induced by alpha-particle interaction with gold nuclei in the energy range 14–36 MeV and in which x neutrons (0 ≤ x ≤ 3) are evaporated. The stack-activation technique was used to record and separate reaction products. Experimental data on the fusion reactions followed by evaporation of one to three neutrons agree with results of previous studies. For the radiative-capture reaction ¹⁹⁷Au(⁴He,γ)²⁰¹Tl, the upper limit on the cross section proved to be much lower. The excitation functions for the reactions subjected to measurements are compared with the results of calculations based on the statistical model and with the results of an experiment performed previously in a ⁶He beam.     

Fusability and fissionability in 86Kr-induced reactions near and below the fusion barrier

Evaporation-residue excitation functions for the reactions ⁸⁶Kr + ^70,76Ge, ^92,100 Mo, ^99,102,104 Ru have been measured using activation methods and the velocity filter SHIP. The data span the region from well below the fusion barrier up to, and beyond, the energy where limitation by fission competition takes place. The data are shown to be compatible with the concept of complete fusion followed by the statistical decay of the equilibrated compound nucleus. Information on both the fusion probability at and below the fusion threshold and the fissionability of the compound nuclei formed, is extracted. The model dependence of the extracted fission barriers is discussed in detail. In analogy to studies involving lighter projectiles, strong correlations between the low-energy nuclear-structure properties of the nuclei and the subbarrier fusion probability are found. A relative shift of the fusion barrier to higher energies, that increases with the number of valence neutrons in the target nuclei, is observed.     

μCF Intense Neutron Source and Nuclear Waste Incineration

It was shown in a series of papers, that a 14-MeV intense neutron source based on muon-catalyzed fusion with intensity J = 10¹⁷ n/s and flux Φ = 10¹⁴ n/s/cm² can be constructed on the current technology base. Also it was demonstrated that 14 MeV neutrons are essential to drive effective transmutation of problematic radionuclides. For this reason, advanced methods of the neutron generation are outlined in the present paper with the focus on the beam parameter estimations inherent in the KEK-JAERI project. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.