Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Two deuterons with almost no kinetic energy fuse in the reaction . The atomic masses are u for deuterium, u for helium-3 and u for the neutron. Find the Q value. Find the kinetic energy of the neutron and of the helium-3 nucleus that are made, taking the atomic masses as their masses.
In a nuclear reaction the total mass number and the total charge stay the same. The energy released is , with atomic masses. For a target at rest, the threshold energy of an endothermic reaction is . From rest, two products share the energy in the inverse ratio of their masses.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The Q value. Before: u. After: u. The loss is u, so MeV.
Step 2. The sharing. The momentum before is zero, so the neutron and the helium-3 nucleus have equal momenta. The neutron is lighter, so it takes the larger share: MeV.
Step 3. Helium-3. MeV.
Answer: MeV, with MeV for the neutron and MeV for helium-3.
Check. The neutron is about times lighter, and it has about times the energy. . It fits. These MeV neutrons are used to find out whether a fusion plasma is working.
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