Forest He-3 Tubes

The neutron capture of He-3 may be represented by the reaction below

[math]n + He^3 \rightarrow p + H^3[/math]

About 764 keV of energy is liberated in this nuclear reaction and distributed between the final products according to their masses. Because the proton is abotu a factor of 3 lighter that T ritium (H^3) , it will have more kinetic energy by about a factor of 3 (about 573 keV). This liberated proton can ionize other He-3 atoms via the reaction

[math]p+He^3 \rightarrow p + He^3(+) + e^-[/math]

File:He-3Tube DetectorDrawing.jpg