Analyzing powers for 3H(d,n)4He reactions in the NCSM+RGM model

Jordan McDonnell, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Photo of Jordan McDonnell

The deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion reaction has been the subject of extensive investigation because of its applications in energy, national defense, and astrophysics. Particularly for stellar fusion, terrestrial experiments have difficulty in probing the reaction's cross section at the relevant low energies. An extit{ab initio} theory — a theory in which the only adjustable parameters are those for the interaction between nucleons — for this reaction would provide an independent guide for extrapolating and evaluating experimental data in the appropriate energy range. We use the no-core shell model (NCSM) and resonating group method (RGM) in tandem to describe both internal nuclear structure and the collision between the two nuclei in a unified framework. It is well known that the reaction cross section is enhanced when the spins of the deuterium and tritium nuclei are aligned. We calculate analyzing powers for polarized nuclei with the NCSM+RGM theory for the purposes of a systematic comparison between the theory's predictions and established experimental data.

Abstract Author(s): J. McDonnell, P. Navratil, S. Quaglioni