Radiation Source for the Study of X-Ray Driven Gamma Emission

摘要

Nuclear isomers can store tremendous amounts of energy for long times - for example, the 31-year metastable excited state of (178)(subm2)Hf stores 2. 445 MeV per nucleus, or 1.2 GigaJoules per gram. These special states of certain isotopes may therefore prove useful as nuclear batteries, provided that a means is found by which to control (trigger) their energy release upon demand. The concentration of current research is on the use of externally-produced photons to serve as such a trigger. At this point, much research must be conducted to test this process and measure the important physical parameters, from which an evaluation of the feasibility of applications may be conducted. The x-ray generating and support equipment purchased through this award are permitting improved investigations of triggered gamma emission from nuclear isomers and have created a unique facility for these studies.