A cryogenic tritium target system for nuclear physics experiments

Abstract A cryogenic tritium ( 3 H 2 ) gas target system was constructed and used for a program of electron scattering studies. The 3 H 2 was supplied and safely stored as solid U 3 H 3 . For the experiments, it was transferred to a thin walled cylindrical cell, where it was exposed to 25 μA electron beams with energies up to 800 MeV. During operation, the target cell contained 115000 Ci of tritium at 225 psia and 45 K. Multiple safety enclosures surrounded both target and gas transfer systems. A microprocessor-based control and monitoring system presented target parameters to the operators, identifying those out of range. The target system operated safely and effectively for about 2000 h, enabling completion of comprehensive elastic and elastic electron scattering study of the three nucleon system.