An Accelerator Technique for the Study of Ballistic Surfaces.

Abstract

Specific nuclear reactions produced by energetic accelerator beams can be used to detect the presence of various elements on ballistic surfaces. A technique using the reaction 16O(d, alpha sub o) 14N has been developed in order to detect oxygen depth concentration profiles on the surface of a thick slab of iron. Tests with idealized thin oxygen targets have been carried out to show the capabilities of the technique. The detectability level achieved is 2 x 10 to the 16 power atoms/sq cm which corresponds to about 10 atomic layers, the probing depth is 5 micrometers at a deuteron bombarding energy of 3 MeV, and the optimum depth resolution is about 100 A. Iron surfaces which have been exposed to the erosive environments of burning propellants have also been examined. The results of these tests show that significant differences in the oxygen depth concentration profiles are observed for surfaces which have undergone different exposure histories.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1975
Accession Number
ADA016899

Entities

People

  • A. Niiler
  • J. E. Youngblood
  • S. E. Caldwell
  • T. J. Rock

Organizations

  • Ballistic Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Deuteron Reactions
  • Deuterons
  • Environment
  • Micrometers
  • Nuclear Reactions
  • Propellants

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Nuclear and Radiation Engineering.
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.
  • Spectroscopy.