Isotope selective excitation of 155Gd and 157Gd isotopes from 9D° 2–6 states using broadband lasers

Abstract

The feasibility of isotope enrichment of 155Gd and 157Gd isotopes using relatively broadband lasers within the tuning range of rhodamine-6G dye has been studied. A new set of photoionization schemes have been proposed for using in the industrial scale enrichment of these isotopes. These photoionization schemes result in better photon economy compared to the photoionization schemes reported earlier. The enriched isotopic mixture results in a 50% increase in the neutron absorption cross-section and a 70% reduction in the residual neutron absorption. The degree of enrichment of the odd isotopes is adequate for using the enriched mixture as an efficient burnable poison. The effect of linewidth of the excitation laser and Doppler width of the atom source on the degree of enrichment have been theoretically evaluated and experimentally verified. The computed selectivities were in good agreement with the experimental results.