A High-Intensity Source of $^6$He Atoms for Fundamental Research

ORAL

Abstract

We have designed and built a lithium target station for the production of $^6$He atoms for fundamental research. The system relies on the reaction $^7$Li($^2$H,$^3$He)$^6$He using a deuteron beam provided by the tandem Van de Graaff accelerator available at the Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics of the University of Washington reaching a maximum intensity and energy of 10$\mu$A and 18 MeV. The extracted intensity of gaseous $^6$He atoms was measured to be $\sim$10$^9$ atoms/s in a low-background experimental area. This represents the highest intensity of $^6$He currently available in the world. This presentation will discuss the details of the target design and give a brief overview of the experimental program.

*This work was supported by DOE under grant DE-FG02-97ER41020.

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Authors

  • D.W. Zumwalt

    • University of Washington

  • A. Knecht

    • University of Washington

  • A. Garcia

    • University of Washington

  • B.G. Delbridge

    • University of Washington

  • R. Hong

    • University of Washington

  • G.C. Harper

    • University of Washington

  • C. Wrede

    • University of Washington

  • S. Utsuno

    • University of Washington

  • A.S.C Palmer

    • University of Washington

  • R.G.H. Robertson

    • University of Washington

  • H.E. Swanson

    • University of Washington

  • D.I. Will

    • University of Washington

  • P. Mueller

    • Argonne National Laboratory

  • W. Williams

    • Argonne National Laboratory