Reactions produced by the He3 bombardment of the He3 have been investigated for bombarding energies from 1 to 20 MeV using a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator.Proton spectra from the three-body reaction He3(He3, 2p)He4 have been measured with a counter telescope at 13 angles for 9 bombarding energies between 3 and 18 MeV.The results are compared with a model for the reaction which includes a strong p-He4 final-state interaction.Alpha-particle spectra have been obtained at 12 and 18 MeV for forward angles with a magnetic spectrometer.These spectra indicate a strongly forward-peaked mechanism involving the 1S0 p-p interaction in addition to the p-He4 interaction.Measurements of p-He4 and p-p coincidence spectra at 10 MeV confirm these features of the reaction mechanism.Deuteron spectra from the reaction of He3(He3, d)pHe3 have been measured at 18 MeV.A triton spectrum from the reaction He3(He3, t)3p at 20 MeV and 40 is interpreted in terms of a sequential decay through an excited state of the alpha particle at 20.0 MeV.No effects are observed which would indicate an interaction in the residual (3p) system.Below 3 MeV the He3(He3, 2p)He4 reaction mechanism is observed to be changing and further measurements are suggested in view of the importance of this reaction in stellar interiors.
