Scientists have replicated a forgotten but crucial experiment that took place in 1938. The first-ever triton-deuterium (colloquially referred to as DT) fusion experiment that was accidentally performed by University of Michigan physicist A. J. Ruhlig has now been recreated by a Los Alamos collaboration.<\/p>\n
The decades-old experiment likely planted the seed for a physics process that informs national security work and nuclear energy research to this day.<\/p>\n
Modern neutron detection methods used<\/p>\n
Scientists pointed out that Ruhlig overestimated the ratio of the triton-deuterium over deuteron-deuterium neutron<\/a> yields in his secondary reaction (reaction-in-flight) experiment compared to modern theoretical calculations and \u201cour duplication of his experiment using modern neutron detection methods.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs we\u2019ve uncovered, Ruhlig\u2019s contribution was to hypothesize that DT fusion happens with very high probability when deuterium and tritium are brought sufficiently close together,\u201d said Mark Chadwick, associate Laboratory director for Science, Computation and Theory at Los Alamos.<\/p>\n \u201cReplicating his experiment helped us interpret his work and better understand his role, and what proved to be his essentially correct conclusions. The course of nuclear fuel physics has borne out the profound consequences of Arthur Ruhlig\u2019s clever insight.\u201d<\/p>\n Novel approach for checking on low-energy triton stopping powers<\/p>\n Scientists underlined that the experimental technique<\/a> used in the present work provides a novel approach for checking on low-energy triton stopping powers in deuterium-containing compounds<\/a>.<\/p>\n The DT fusion reaction is central to enabling fusion technologies, whether as part of the nation\u2019s nuclear deterrence capabilities or in ongoing efforts to develop fusion for civilian energy. For instance, the deuterium-tritium reaction is at the center of efforts at the National Ignition Facility to harness fusion. Los Alamos physicists developed a theory about where the idea came from \u2014 Ruhlig \u2014 and then built an experiment that would confirm the importance and accuracy of Ruhlig\u2019s suggestion, according to a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cRegardless of the inconsistency of Ruhlig\u2019s rate of fusion against our modern understanding, our replication leaves no doubt that he was at least qualitatively correct when he said that DT fusion was \u2018exceedingly probable,\u201d Chadwick said.<\/p>\n \u201cRuhlig\u2019s accidental observation of DT fusion, together with subsequent Manhattan Project cross-section measurements, contributed to the peaceful application of DT fusion in tokamaks focused on energy projects and in inertial confinement fusion experiments like NIF. I think we\u2019re all proud to lift Arthur Ruhlig up again out of history as an important contributor to ongoing, vital research.\u201d<\/p>\n Modern experiment observed secondary DT reactions<\/p>\n Scientists confirmed that the modern experiment did observe secondary DT reactions, although it also suggests that Ruhlig overestimated the ratio at which he was seeing excess neutron production, the products of fusion; the researchers detected a much smaller ratio.<\/p>\n As Ruhlig\u2019s 1938 letter describing the experiment provides only sparse details of how he arrived at his determination, it is ultimately difficult to decisively gauge the Michigan physicist\u2019s accuracy against the modern results. The team\u2019s calculated value using modern methods did agree with the measured value gleaned from the replicated experiment, as per<\/a> the release.<\/p>\n Scientists also highlighted that the measurements derived from the experimental techniques employed by Ruhlig and re-tested by the Los Alamos and Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory researchers can be applied to active fusion efforts, such as at NIF.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scientists have replicated a forgotten but crucial experiment that took place in 1938. 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