Pumping of gas mixtures by the products of 6Li(n,α)3H nuclear reaction in the nuclear reactor core

The study was carried out at the IVG.1M stationary reactor core at a thermal neutron flux density of 0.6·10
¹⁴
n/cm
²
s. As a source of charged particles, lithium of a natural enrichment (7.5% of
⁶
Li isotope) with an impurity content of less than 0.1% was used. The present paper examines the emission spectra of noble gases and their mixtures in a wide temperature range. Lines of alkali metal atoms appears in the emission spectra with the increase of gas mixture temperature. In addition to lithium lines, sodium and potassium lines was also observed. The presence of these lines in spectra is connected with lithium layer sputtering by products of nuclear reaction as well as with bombardment of lithium layer by ionized and excited buffer gas particles.