The Production of 320-Mev Deuterons by He3 Stripping

Deuterons can be accelerated in the 184-in. cyclotron to 190 Mev. To produce higher-energy deuterons, doubly charged He3 ions are accelerated to 493 Mev, and a fraction of them are stripped in an internal target, yielding deuterons with an average energy of 330 Mev. A current of 5×10−13 ampere is obtained in the experimental ``cave'' external to the cyclotron shielding. Range measurements indicate that these deuterons have an average energy of about 320 Mev. The high cost of He3 necessitates an efficient gas-recovery system. The exhaust from the cyclotron diffusion pump is passed through activated charcoal traps which are cooled to liquid-nitrogen temperatures, and the gas that is not adsorbed (presumably helium) is returned to the cyclotron source. The loss from all causes is 0.8 cc/hour.