Ultra-sensitive Detection of Hydrogen Isotopes by Lyman-α RIS

概要

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An ultra-sensitive way of detecting hydrogen isotopes (muonium, H, D, and T) is described, by in which a resonant ionization scheme through the {1S-2P-unbound} transition is utilized. A time-of-flight measurement using the pulsed lasers coupled with a mass separation enables us to distinguish any hydrogen isotope with very low backgrounds. As a real demonstration of sensitive detection, H, D, and T atoms generated simultaneously by the nuclear reactions of a 500-MeV proton beam were shown to be easily distinguished and extracted without changing any experimental condition other than the corresponding Lyman-α wavelength.In the case of a laser-induced fluorescence technique using Lyman-α or Balmer-α photons, the lowest detection limit is reported to be as low as on the order of 107–109 cm−3, or 107 cm−3, respectively. In the case of two-photon induced Balmer-α emission, the detection limit is reported to be on the same order as that by three-photon ionization, 3×109 cm−3. The detection limit of the present method is estimated to be about 7.7×103 cm−3. The method of applying Lyman-α resonant ionization spectroscopy can be recognized as an ultra-sensitive and efficient mass-selection technique.
社団法人日本原子力学会の論文
2002-04-25