Development and characterization of polyethylene and deuterated polyethylene targets for nuclear physics experiments

Abstract

Self-supported polyethylene and deuterated polyethylene targets of thickness in the range of 0.3 mg/cm2 to 2.5 mg/cm2 were prepared using the solvent casting technique. A quantitative estimation of material required for the solvent casting technique has been presented. Overall target preparation time has been reduced from the earlier reported methods. Comparative studies between polyethylene of the two different isotopes (hydrogen/deuterium) were performed in terms of their different characteristic properties e.g. target thickness, uniformity in the target thickness, infrared transmission and melting temperature. The effect of deuteration is clearly seen in the infrared transmission and melting point of the polyethylene, which may have potential applications in other fields of research. Target prepared in this work has been used for an in-beam experiment, where yield of the deuteron produced is found to be sensitive to the hydrogen isotope present in the polyethylene target.