A Deuterium - Deuterium Source of Neutrons

Authors

Victor Young, State University of Iowa

Document Type

Research

Abstract

A single section accelerator tube built for 300 to 400 k.v. is used to accelerate a beam of deutrons obtained from a conventional arc discharge source. The beam impinges on a target of P₂O₅ + H₂²O producing neutrons according to the reaction H²+H²=H³+n. The target assembly is immersed in a tank of water which because of the elastic H¹ and n collisions becomes a source of thermal neutrons. Detection is accomplished by placing a piece of silver in the tank. The silver becomes artificially beta radioactive by the well-known reactions Ag¹⁰⁸+n→Ag¹⁰⁹ and Ag¹⁰⁹→Cd¹⁰⁹+e-. Since the half-life of the beta activity is something over three · minutes there is ample time to remove the silver from the tank and detect the beta particles with a thin walled Geiger-Müller counter.

Publication Date

1939

Journal Title

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

46

Issue

1

First Page

266

Last Page

266

Copyright

©1939 Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Young, Victor (1939) "A Deuterium - Deuterium Source of Neutrons," Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, 46(1), 266-266.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol46/iss1/75