Production of Neutrons up to 18 MeV in High-Intensity, Short-Pulse Laser Matter Interactions
Abstract
The generation of high-energy neutrons using laser-accelerated ions is demonstrated experimentally using the Titan laser with 360 J of laser energy in a 9 ps pulse. In this technique, a short-pulse, high-energy laser accelerates deuterons from a CD2 foil. These are incident on a LiF foil and subsequently create high energy neutrons through the 7Li(d,xn) nuclear reaction (Q=15 MeV). Radiochromic film and a Thomson parabola ion-spectrometer were used to diagnose the laser accelerated deuterons and protons. Conversion efficiency into protons was 0.5%, an order of magnitude greater than into deuterons. Maximum neutron energy was shown to be angularly dependent with up to 18 MeV neutrons observed in the forward direction using neutron time-of-flight spectrometry. Absolutely calibrated CR-39 detected spectrally integrated neutron fluence of up to 8x10(exp 8) n sr(exp -1) in the forward direction
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 24, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA551649
Entities
People
- A. J. Mackinnon
- D. C. Swift
- D. P. Higginson
- G. M. Petrov
- J. Davis
- J. M. Mcnaney
- Johan A. Frenje
- K. L. Lancaster
- L. C. Jarrott
- R. Kodama
Organizations
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory