Feasibility study of laser-driven neutron sources for pharmaceutical applications

Mori, Takasuke; Yogo, Akifumi; Arikawa, Yasunobu; Hayakawa, Takehito; Mirfayzi, S. R.; Lan, Zechen; Wei, Tianyun; Abe, Yuki; Nakai, M.; Mima, Kunioki; Nishimura, Hiroaki; Fujioka, Shinsuke; Kodama, R.

doi:10.1017/hpl.2023.4

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 48 publications

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“…7) Ion acceleration is of importance for laserdriven neutron sources (LDNSs), [8][9][10][11][12][13] which can be used for various applications, such as nondestructive analysis of materials [14][15][16][17] and the production of medical radioisotopes. 18) In LDNSs, a primary target is used for the generation of high-energy ions such as protons, and neutrons could be generated by nuclear reactions in a secondary target, such as beryllium (Be) and lithium (Li), which is located behind the primary target. When protons are used as the primary ions, neutrons are predominantly generated by the 9 Be(p, n) 9 B reaction when a Be target is used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryogenic solid deuterium target formation to realize highly pure deuteron acceleration by high-intensity laser

Wei,

Iwamoto,

Lan

et al. 2024

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.

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In recent years, laser driven neutron sources (LDNSs) have attracted the attention for their applications such as nondestructive analysis and production of medical radioisotopes. One of the efficient neutron production methods is the use of the 9Be(d, n)10B reaction on a beryllium target with deuterons accelerated by laser-plasma interactions because this is an exothermic reaction. For efficient deuteron acceleration, we have developed a formation system for solid deuterium targets. A millimeter thick solid deuterium target can be formed with the system. Before laser shot, the solid deuterium target in the laser chamber can be mechanically moved to the laser irradiation point. We have demonstrated deuteron acceleration by the LFEX laser, and a highly-pure deuteron pulse with energies of up to 6.2MeV was measured with a Thomson parabola ion spectrometer.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryogenic solid deuterium target formation to realize highly pure deuteron acceleration by high-intensity laser

Wei,

Iwamoto,

Lan

et al. 2024

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.

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Non-invasive detection of hazardous materials with a thermal-to-epithermal neutron station: a feasibility study towards practical application

Silarski,

Dziedzic-Kocurek,

Drużbicki

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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The growing scale of the devastation that even a single terrorist attack can cause requires more effective methods for the detection of hazardous materials. In particular, there are no solutions for effectively monitoring threats at sea, both for the off-shore infrastructure and ports. Currently, state-of-the-art detection methods determine the density distribution and the shapes of tested subjects but only allow for a limited degree of substance identification. This work aims to present a feasibility study of the possible usage of several methods available on the thermal-to-epithermal neutron station, VESUVIO, at the ISIS neutron and muon spallation source, UK, for the detection of hazardous materials. To this end, we present the results of a series of experiments performed concurrently employing neutron transmission and Compton scattering using melamine, a commonly used explosive surrogate, in order to determine its signal characteristics and limits of detection and quantitation. The experiments are supported by first-principles modelling, providing detailed scrutiny of the material structure and the nuclear dynamics behind the neutron scattering observables.

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Compact ultrafast neutron sources via bulk acceleration of deuteron ions in an optical trap

Lei,

Ma,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Matter and Radiation at Extremes

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A scheme for a quasi-monoenergetic high-flux neutron source with femtosecond duration and highly anisotropic angular distribution is proposed. This scheme is based on bulk acceleration of deuteron ions in an optical trap or density grating formed by two counter-propagating laser pulses at an intensity of ∼1016W/cm2 in a near-critical-density plasma. The deuterons are first pre-accelerated to an energy of tens of keV in the ambipolar fields formed in the optical trap. Their energy is boosted to the MeV level by another one or two laser pulses at an intensity of ∼1020W/cm2, enabling fusion reactions to be triggered with high efficiency. In contrast to previously proposed pitcher–catcher configurations, our scheme can provide spatially periodic acceleration structures and effective collisions between deuterons inside the whole target volume. Subsequently, neutrons are generated directly inside the optical trap. Our simulations show that neutron pulses with energy 2–8 MeV, yield 1018–1019n/s, and total number 106–107 in a duration ∼400 fs can be obtained with a 25 μm target. Moreover, the neutron pulses exhibit unique angularly dependent energy spectra and flux distributions, predominantly along the axis of the energy-boosting lasers. Such microsize femtosecond neutron pulses may find many applications, such as high-resolution fast neutron imaging and nuclear physics research.

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Feasibility study of laser-driven neutron sources for pharmaceutical applications

Cited by 5 publications

References 48 publications

Cryogenic solid deuterium target formation to realize highly pure deuteron acceleration by high-intensity laser

Cryogenic solid deuterium target formation to realize highly pure deuteron acceleration by high-intensity laser

Non-invasive detection of hazardous materials with a thermal-to-epithermal neutron station: a feasibility study towards practical application

Compact ultrafast neutron sources via bulk acceleration of deuteron ions in an optical trap

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