Emission of the 3He–Xe–Cd mixture in the active zone of a nuclear reactor

The luminescence spectrum of the ³He–Xe–Cd mixture in the wavelength range 350–830 nm is studied at a gas temperature 250–600°C. The mixture was excited by the products of the nuclear reaction ³He(n, p)T. The mechanism of population of CdI levels is discussed and the rate constant of the charge exchange of Xe₂⁺ ions with cadmium atoms is estimated as k~10^-13 cm³ s^-1.