A study on nuclear properties of Zr, Nb, and Ta nuclei used as structural material in fusion reactor

Abstract

Fusion has a practically limitless fuel supply and is attractive as an energy source. The main goal of fusion research is to construct and operate an energy generating system. Fusion researches also contains fusion structural materials used fusion reactors. Material issues are very important for development of fusion reactors. Therefore, a wide range of fusion structural materials have been considered for fusion energy applications. Zirconium (Zr), Niobium (Nb) and Tantalum (Ta) containing alloys are important structural materials for fusion reactors and many other fields. Naturally Zr includes the 90 Zr (%51.5), 91 Zr (%11.2), 92 Zr (%17.1), 94 Zr (%17.4), 96 Zr (%2.80) isotopes and 93 Nb and 181 Ta include the 93 Nb (%100) and 181 Ta (%99.98), respectively. In this study, the charge, mass, proton and neutron densities and the root-mean-square (rms) charge radii, rms nuclear mass radii, rms nuclear proton, and neutron radii have been calculated for 87-102 Zr, 93 Nb, 181 Ta target nuclei isotopes by using the Hartree–Fock method with an effective Skyrme force with SKM*. The calculated results have been compared with those of the compiled experimental taken from Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables and theoretical values of other studies.