Conversion in solid solutions of deuterium and hydrogen
Abstract
We consider the mechanisms of conversion in solid solutions of H2 and D2. It is shown that the conversion processes for the D2 molecules should be accompanied by the emission of a single phonon, while those for H2 should involve two. A new conversion mechanism is proposed, which is to be found only in solutions in which a rotational excitation is transferred from a molecule of o-H2 to a molecule of o-D2 and the energy difference is emitted as a phonon. Estimates are presented for all the conversion mechanisms discussed, and it is shown that the single-phonon probability for conversion of D2 provides better agreement with experiment than the two-phonon probability calculated by Motizuki. The possibility of experimental observation of the proposed cascade mechanism is discussed.