Quick Shot

Engineers Ara Knaian and Elena Koukina from NK Labs (Cambridge, MA) tested segments of their neutron detector at the LLE’s neutronics lab. Members of LLE’s Nuclear Diagnostic Team, Vladimir Glebov and Chad Forrest, assisted NK Labs in the design and testing of the detectors. Arrangements necessary for the tests were provided by Douglas Jacobs-Perkins and Kenneth Marshall. NK Labs seeks to measure muon-induced fusion rates at high pressure and temperature in upcoming accelerator experiments. Muons have the same charge as electrons but 206 times the mass. When they replace an electron in an atom they reduce the atomic radius. In DT this allows fusion to occur at room temperature. A muon may induce multiple DT fusion reactions, or it may bind to the He fusion product and be lost to the system. Previous studies of muon-induced fusion indicated sticking rates that were just too high for energy gain. However, there are indications that sticking rates fall as density and temperature increase. NK Labs will make measurements at higher densities and temperatures than ever before by using a heated-diamond-anvil cell. These measurements require accurate detection of fusion neutrons, an area where the LLE has great expertise. This project is supported by ARPA-E (DOE’s Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy).