Optical Detection of Deuterium in Heavy Water: Towards Remote Detection of Tritium

International audienceTritium detection poses a challenge because of the weak beta particle emission and absence of ionizing radiation. We demonstrate the isotopic analysis of deuterated water via laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy as a modality for measuring tritium

Laser-produced uranium plasma characterization and Stark broadening measurements

This work reports the spatiotemporal diagnostics of uranium species in plasma plumes produced by nanosecond near-infrared laser pulses in a low-pressure environment. Spatially and temporally resolved emission spectroscopy experiments are combined with the modeling of uranium emission for investigating the dynamics of the plume. The Saha-Eggert equation and Boltzmann plots generated from numerous U I transitions are used to infer temperature. This work also reports the measurements of uranium Stark broadening parameters for U I 499.01 nm and U II 500.82 nm transitions. The Stark widths of select U transitions were measured by comparing their linewidths with the broadening of the O I 777.19 nm line. The electron density was found to be of the order of 1016 cm−3, while the temperature was found to be in the range of 3000–9000 K. In addition to enhancing the fundamental understanding of high-Z plasmas in reduced-pressure environments, the knowledge of Stark broadening parameters could improve the modeling capabilities and analytical performance of techniques that rely on emission plasma spectroscopy.Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Consortium for Verification Technology (CVT) [DE-NA0002534]; Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) [NA-22]; National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Program (NSF GRFP) [DGE 1256260]; U.S. DOEUnited States Department of Energy (DOE) [DE-AC05-76RLO1830]12 month embargo; published online: 3 September 2019This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]