"

Cookies ussage consent

Our site saves small pieces of text information (cookies) on your device in order to deliver better content and for statistical purposes. You can disable the usage of cookies by changing the settings of your browser. By browsing our site without changing the browser settings you grant us permission to store that information on your device.

I agree, do not show this message again.

Initiation of nuclear reactions under laser irradiation of Au nanoparticles in the presence of thorium aqua-ions

A. V. SIMAKIN1, G. A. SHAFEEV1,*

Affiliation

  1. Wave Research Center of A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38, Vavilov street, 119991 Moscow Russian Federation

Abstract

Initiation of nuclear reactions in Thorium nuclei is experimentally studied under laser exposure of Au nanoparticles suspended in the aqueous solution of Th(NO3)4 (232Th). The solutions are analyzed using either Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) or gamma-spectrometry in the range of gamma-photons energy from 0.06 to 1.5 MeV. Real-time acquisition of gamma-spectra of the probes is achieved using a portable scintillator γ-spectrometer. It is found that the reaction pathway depends on in which water, either H2O or D2O, the laser exposure is carried out. Laser exposure at peak intensity of 1013 W/cm2 in D2O results in the decrease of probes activity of all elements of Th branching including that of 137Cs impurity. Exposure in H2O leads to the increase of activity of elements of Th branching as well as the one of the 137Cs impurity due to fission of Th nuclei. Saturation of the liquids (H2O or D2O) with gaseous H2 or D2, respectively, enhances the nuclear reactions under laser exposure allowing their excitation at peak intensity as low as 1010 W/cm2 . Enhanced activity of the probe is observed after the end of laser exposure for several hours..

Keywords

Lasers, Nanoparticles, Thorium, gold, Liquid, nuclear reactions, Heavy water.

Submitted at: June 19, 2009
Accepted at: Feb. 27, 2010

Citation

A. V. SIMAKIN, G. A. SHAFEEV, Initiation of nuclear reactions under laser irradiation of Au nanoparticles in the presence of thorium aqua-ions, Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials Vol. 12, Iss. 3, pp. 432-436 (2010)