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Electron-positron pair production observed from laser-induced processes in ultra-dense deuterium D(-1)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 August 2014

Frans Olofson  and
Leif Holmlid
Frans Olofson
Affiliation:
Atmospheric Science, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
Leif Holmlid*
Affiliation:
Atmospheric Science, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Leif Holmlid, Atmospheric Science, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Laser-induced fusion in ultra-dense deuterium D(-1) is reported in several studies from our group, using ns- and ps-pulsed lasers. The ejection of ultra-dense hydrogen particles with thermal distributions and energy up to 20 MeV u−1 was studied previously by time-of-flight measurements. The investigations of the new processes continue now by studying the interaction of these particles with metal surfaces. In the present experiments, such particles penetrate in two steps through 1 mm of metal and reach three levels of collectors at distances up to 1 m. Only the fastest particles penetrate and move to the next level. The thermal time-of-flight distributions together with tests with strong magnetic fields exclude electrons as the particles observed. The sign of the signals to the metal collectors depends on the bias (negative bias gives positive signal and conversely) while the time variations of the signals for positive and negative bias are similar. The rapid variation of the signals indicates electrons and positrons ejected from the collectors, thus lepton-pair production. An increase in bias up to ± 400 V increases the peak signal up to 1 A with no observed limiting. A thick metal plate removes slow particles and most gamma photons. The number of lepton-pairs produced is > 4 × 1012 sr−1 in the forward direction per laser shot.

Keywords

Inertial confinement fusionLaser-induced fusionPair productionUltra-dense deuterium
Type
Research Article
Information
Laser and Particle Beams , Volume 32 , Issue 4 , December 2014 , pp. 537 - 548
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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