https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2006-08-028-3
Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics II
Evidence for a host-material dependence of the n/p branching ratio of low-energy d+d reactions within metallic environments
1
Institut für Atomare Physik und Fachdidaktik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstr. 36, 10623, Berlin, Germany
2
Institute of Physics, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland
3
TRIUMF, Vancouver, Canada
* e-mail: huke@physik.tu-berlin.de
Received:
6
July
2005
Accepted:
20
December
2005
Published online:
16
March
2006
Angular distributions and the neutron-proton branching ratio of the mirror reactions 2H(d, p)3H and 2H(d, n)3He have been investigated using different self-implanted deuterized metallic targets at projectile energies between 5 and 60. Whereas the experimental results obtained for the transition metals Zr, Pd, Ta and also Al do not differ from those known from gas-target experiments, an enhancement of the angular anisotropy in the neutron channel and an attenuation of the neutron-proton branching ratio have been observed for the (earth)alkaline metals Li, Sr and Na at deuteron energies below 20. Experimental results are discussed with consideration of the special problems arising from the properties of these chemically very reactive target materials. A first theoretical effort explaining simultaneously both n/p asymmetry effects based on an induced polarization of the reacting deuterons within the crystal lattice is presented.
PACS: 24.70.+s Polarization phenomena in reactions – / 25.45.Hi Transfer reactions – / 26.20.+f Hydrostatic stellar nucleosynthesis – / 89.30.Jj Nuclear fusion power –
© Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag, 2006
