ABSTRACT
Nuclear reactions are the result of the fusion process achieved by methods like inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and magnetic fusion. This chapter examines some of the basic nuclear physics of fusion reactions and explains the rationale for an approach to energy production based on confinement of thermonuclear plasma. It discusses several techniques to determine properties of these plasmas based on the measurement of nuclear reaction products. The energy released in fusion reactions is available due to the difference in nuclear binding energies between the reactants and the products. Neutron yield measurement is one of the most fundamental ICF measurements since it reveals how many fusion reactions occurred and in that sense is a measure of the success of the implosion. Plasma ion temperature can be determined by a measurement of the neutron energy spectrum. Fuel areal density is an important fundamental parameter for ICF implosions and can be measured by several schemes involving nuclear reaction products.
