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Self-diffusion of liquid deuterium hydride and liquid tritium

Published

Author(s)

T. Prisk, S. Hanna, Richard Azuah

Abstract

We present a quasi-elastic neutron scattering study of liquid deuterium hydride carried out using the Disk Chopper Spectrometer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Under saturated vapor pressure, the self-diffusion constant of deuterium hydride obeys an Arrhenius law D=D0exp−EA/kBT, where the prefactor D0 is given by D0=9.5±1.2Å2/ps and the activation energy is given by EA = 58 ± 2 K. We apply the quantum law of corresponding states to the known diffusion constants of the hydrogen isotopologues. From this application, we estimate that D0≈9.1Å2/ps and EA ≈ 75 K in liquid tritium. Young's theory of quantum-mechanical effects in van der Waals fluids [Young, Phys. Rev. A 23, 1498 (1981)] is shown to apply to the diffusion constants of the liquid hydrogens. Our results underscore the importance of nuclear quantum effects in shaping the properties and behavior of the hydrogen isotopologues.
Citation
The Journal of Chemical Physics
Volume
161
Issue
14

Citation

Prisk, T. , Hanna, S. and Azuah, R. (2024), Self-diffusion of liquid deuterium hydride and liquid tritium, The Journal of Chemical Physics, [online], https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0230567, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=960484 (Accessed July 22, 2025)

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Created October 8, 2024, Updated July 21, 2025
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