NUCLEAR FUSION TARGET, NUCLEAR FUSION DEVICE, AND NUCLEAR FUSION METHOD

• US 20120307950A1
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawashima, Toshiyuki, Kan, Hirofumi, Azuma, Hirozumi, Hioki, Tatsumi, Motohiro, Tomoyoshi, Sekine, Takashi, Kitagawa, Yoneyoshi, Mori, Yoshitaka, Miyamoto, Yasushi, Nakamura, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 9,363,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 376/103
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/19 Targets for producing thermonuclear fusion reactions, e.g. pellets for irradiation by laser or charged particle beams
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 3/006 Fusion by impact, e.g. cluster/beam interaction, ion beam collisions, impact on a target
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 6/00 Targets for producing nuclear reactions supports for targets or objects to be irradiated G21K5/08 ; preparation of tritium C01B4/00; targets, e.g. pellets for fusion reactions by laser or charged particles beam injection H05H1/22
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/10 Nuclear fusion reactors

Abstract

An object is to be capable of inducing a nuclear fusion reaction at a relatively high efficiency and downsize a device. A nuclear fusion device 1 of the present invention includes a nuclear fusion target 7 including a target substrate 7a containing deuterium or tritium and a thin-film layer 7b containing deuterium or tritium stacked on the target substrate 7a, a vacuum container 5 for storing the nuclear fusion target 7, and a laser unit 3 for irradiating two successive first and second pulsed laser lights P₁, P₂ toward the thin-film layer 7b of the nuclear fusion target 7, and the intensity of the first pulsed laser light P₁ is set to a value that is smaller than that of the second pulsed laser light P₂ and allows peeling of the thin-film layer 7b from the target substrate 7a.

Claims

1. A nuclear fusion target for producing a nuclear fusion reaction, comprising:

a first target layer in a flat plate shape having a first film thickness containing deuterium or tritium; and

a second target layer having a second film thickness thinner than the first film thickness stacked on the first target layer and containing deuterium or tritium.

2. The nuclear fusion target according to claim 1, wherein

the first target layer is a layer for which hydrogen in a solid material containing hydrogen has been substituted with deuterium or tritium.

3. The nuclear fusion target according to claim 1, wherein

the second target layer is a metal thin film absorbed with deuterium or tritium.

4. The nuclear fusion target according to claim 1, wherein

the second target layer is a layer for which hydrogen in a solid material containing hydrogen has been substituted with deuterium or tritium.

5. A nuclear fusion device comprising:

the nuclear fusion target according to claim 1;

a vacuum container for storing the nuclear fusion target; and

a laser light irradiating section for irradiating laser light including two successive first and second pulsed lights toward the second target layer of the nuclear fusion target, wherein

the intensity of the first pulsed light is set to a value that is smaller than that of the second pulsed light and allows peeling of the second target layer from the first target layer.

6. A nuclear fusion method for producing a nuclear fusion reaction comprising the steps of:

disposing in a vacuum a nuclear fusion target including a first target layer having a first film thickness containing deuterium or tritium, and a second target layer having a second film thickness thinner than the first film thickness stacked on the first target layer and containing deuterium or tritium; and

irradiating laser light including two successive first and second pulsed lights toward the second target layer of the nuclear fusion target, wherein

the intensity of the first pulsed light is set to a value that is smaller than that of the second pulsed light and allows peeling of the second target layer from the first target layer.