Measurements of neutron emission induced by muons stopped in metal deuteride targets

Abstract

An 80-MeV/c negative muon beam from the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron at Brookhaven National Laboratory was used to investigate the stopping of muons inside Pd, Ti, and Y targets saturated with deuterium. Neutron emission from the targets was measured with an array of³He detectors, and in some runs, the temperature of the target was monitored as a function of time, with and without a flux of muons on the target. The neutron rates were also measured for Pd cathodes in an active electrochemical cell similar in design to those used in so-called “cold fusion” experiments, and the electrolyte solution was analyzed for excess tritium. No evidence was found for muon-catalyzed fusion at rates consistent with those claimed in “cold fusion” experiments. Neutron production from catalyzed fusion due to the presence of deuterium in palladium deuteride, PdD_0.7, exposed to muons was determined to be 0.0±0.03 (stat.) ±0.25 (syst.) neutrons per stopped muon.