Abstract

Uranium targets are very important for accelerator-based research of nuclear properties. Depending on the reaction to be studied and on the conditions during the experiments different restrictions on the target material have to be met; as for example, durability, melting temperature, reactivity or a possible contribution of the additional compounds present to the reaction. Therefore, we are developing processes to produce uranium targets in the elemental form as well as in different compounds. Here we report on the production and application of targets from metallic uranium, UF4 and UO2.

Highlights

  • Uranium is a commonly used target for acceleratorbased research on nuclear properties

  • The radioactive laboratory of the target laboratory has an allowance for uranium, which is depleted from natural uranium and has a depletion of below 0.4 % 235U

  • We describe the different starting materials and their availability on the market

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Summary

Introduction

Uranium is a commonly used target for acceleratorbased research on nuclear properties. While uranium and uranium tetrafluoride (UF4) have a melting point significantly above 1000 K, uranium oxide (UO2) and uranium carbide (UC) have a significantly higher melting point above 2000 K. For high-intensity beams, targets of higher melting compounds are better suited. As most of the commercially available metallic uranium has already some oxygen component, additional oxidation cannot not be hindered, even when kept under inert gas. Only a target of a high-melting uranium compound, which is stable in air, guarantees for longlasting stability

Starting material
Metallic uranium
Physical vapour deposition
Thermal deposition of UF4
Findings
DC-magnetron sputtering of metallic U
Full Text
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