New investigations of polarized solid HD targets

Abstract

Polarized solid HD targets in a frozen-spin mode, with superior nuclear physics characteristics and simple operational configurations, have previously been restricted in their deployment due to a disproportionate target production time with respect to utilization time. Recent investigations have yielded frozen-spin polarization lifetimes, at a convenient target temperature of 1.5 K, of nearly a year for both H and D at high holding fields, and of more than a week at sub-Tesla holding fields. These results, taken together with the advent of new interesting spin-physics using relatively weakly ionizing beams, such as polarized photon beams, remove the above impediment and open up the use of polarized solid HD to long duration nuclear spin-physics experiments. Large, multiple targets can be produced, retrieved from the polarization-production apparatus with a cold-transport (4 K) device, stored for very long times in inexpensive (1.5 K, 7 T) cryostats, and introduced “off-the-shelf” into in-beam cryostats via the portable cold-transport apparatus. Various modes for achieving polarized H and/or D, as well as already achieved and expected polarization values, are reported. Experimental results are given on Kapitza resistance between the solid HD and the cooling wires necessary to obtain low temperatures during the heat-evolving polarization process. 15 mK is achievable using gold-plated aluminum wires, which constitute 15% extraneous nucleons over the number of polarizable H or D nucleons. Application to more highly ionizing beams is also given consideration.