Deuteron disintegration in condensed media

Abstract

We discuss the Oppenheimer-Phillips process as a possible phenomenon leading to deuteron disintegration due to polarization in the Coulomb field of a target nucleus. This reaction may be possible in the context of electrochemically compressed deuterons in a palladium cathode. The process is exothermic and may lead to neutron capture from the deuterons into the palladium isotopes, as well as between the deuterons themselves. In the last case, the equivalent of the proton branch of the D-D fusion reaction occurs in preference to the neutron branch. Such a process could provide a model for the processes involved in the observed energy release and tritium production in conjunction with neutron suppression in recent experiments. Possible interactions with Be and fertile isotopes are discussed in the context of breeding fissile isotopes in subcritical configurations.