Spin-directed reaction of recoil tritium with hydrogen

Abstract

In the reaction of recoil tritium, produced by the He³(n,p)T reaction, with para-H₂-enriched mixtures of H₂ with D₂ the HT/DT ratio obtained from unmoderated systems (i.e. reaction observed in the high energy ‘hot’ region) is almost independent of the nuclear spin state of the H₂; at high moderation and in the absence of scavenger (i.e. in the thermal–epithermal region) it was found that the tritium atoms react preferentially with the ortho spin-isomer of hydrogen.