Experimental investigation of muon-catalyzed t + t fusion

Abstract

The muon-catalyzed fusion (μCF) process in tritium was studied by the μCF collaboration on the muon beam of the JINR Phasotron. The measurements were carried out with a liquid tritium target at the temperature 22 K and density approximately 1.25 of the liquid hydrogen density (LHD). Parameters of the μCF cycle were determined: the ttμ muonic molecule formation rate λttμ = 2.84(0.32) μs−1, the ttμ fusion reaction rate λf = 15.6(2.0) μs−1, and the probability of muon sticking to helium ωtt= 13.9(1.5)%. The results agree with those obtained earlier by other groups, but better accuracy was achieved due to our unique experimental method.