Determination of Precision Fusion Cross Sections Using a High Efficiency Superconducting Solenoidal Separator

A novel fusion product separator based on a gas-filled superconducting solenoid has been developed at the Australian National University. Though the transmission efficiency of the solenoid is very high, precision cross sections measurements require this efficiency to be estimated accurately. A Monte Carlo simulation for the effciency can be performed, but in turn requires knowledge of the angular distribution of the evaporation residues. We have developed a method to deduce the angular distribution of the evaporation residues from the laboratory-frame velocity distribution σ_exp(v_l) of the evaporation residues measured after the solenoid. The method will be discussed, focussing on the example of ³⁴S+⁸⁹Y, where the angular distribution has been independently measured using a velocity filter [1]. The establishment of this method now allows the novel solenoidal separator to be used to obtain the most reliable, precision fusion cross-sections.