Quick Shot

Rory Hamilton, a University of Rochester graduate, is shown here working on the commissioning of an x-ray detection system to measure electron-induced x-ray emission from targets filled with tritium gas. For glass targets, the silicon and oxygen K_α fluorescence lines dominate the emission spectrum, which enable the determination of the tritium fill pressure. The strength of these lines depends on the tritium partial pressure in the target. In the case of plastic targets, two components are responsible for a broadband, x-ray emission: decay electrons produced by tritium gas in the target and decay electrons originating from tritium bound in the wall of the targets. The detection system can determine the pressure in both glass and plastic targets from the measured activity as well as measure the tritium permeation time constant from plastic targets.