High-energy ions produced in explosions of superheated atomic clusters

Ditmire, T.; Tisch, J. W. G.; Springate, E.; Mason, M. B.; Hay, N.; Smith, R. A.; Marangos, J. P.; Hutchinson, M. H. R.

doi:10.1038/386054a0

Cited by 631 publications

(406 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Conventional fast neutron sources include deuterium−deuterium (D−D) and deuteriumtritium (D−T) fusion generators, as well as light-ion, photoneutron and spallation sources. Laser plasma interactions in the relativistic regime can also generate charged particles and subsequently accelerate them to energies high enough to trigger nuclear fusion reactions, resulting in neutron production [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . Recent advances in ultra-high power laser technology now enable tabletop scale systems, which may be further reduced in size for use as drivers for portable neutron generators in the future.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

High repetition-rate neutron generation by several-mJ, 35 fs pulses interacting with free-flowing D2O

Hah

Petrov

Nees

et al. 2016

Applied Physics Letters

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Using several-mJ energy pulses from a high-repetition rate ( 1 ⁄2 kHz), ultrashort (35 fs) pulsed laser interacting with a ∼ 10 µm diameter stream of free-flowing heavy water (D 2 O), we demonstrate a 2.45 MeV neutron flux of 10 5 /s. Operating at high intensity (of order 10 19 Wcm −2 ), laser pulse energy is efficiently absorbed in the pre-plasma, generating energetic deuterons. These collide with deuterium nuclei in both the bulk target and the large volume of low density D 2 O vapor surrounding the target to generate neutrons through d (d, n) 3 He reactions. The neutron flux, as measured by a calibrated neutron bubble detector, increased as the laser pulse energy was increased from 6 mJ to 12 mJ. A quantitative comparison between the measured flux and results derived from 2D particle-in-cell simulations show comparable neutron fluxes for similar laser characteristics to the experiment. The simulations reveal that there are two groups of deuterons; forward moving deuterons generate D−D fusion reactions in the D 2 O stream and act as a point source of neutrons, while backward moving deuterons propagate through the low-density D 2 O vapor filled chamber and yield a volumetric source of neutrons.Energetic neutrons have numerous applications in many fields, including medicine 1 , homeland security 2 , and material science 3 . Conventional fast neutron sources include deuterium−deuterium (D−D) and deuteriumtritium (D−T) fusion generators, as well as light-ion, photoneutron and spallation sources. Laser plasma interactions in the relativistic regime can also generate charged particles and subsequently accelerate them to energies high enough to trigger nuclear fusion reactions, resulting in neutron production [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . Recent advances in ultra-high power laser technology now enable tabletop scale systems, which may be further reduced in size for use as drivers for portable neutron generators in the future. One of the methods for neutron production is through the acceleration of high-energy ions (keV-MeV) impinging upon an appropriate converter target, such as deuterated plastic. Typically, thin solid targets are used in these experiments to accelerate deuterons.Using solid targets in the form of a thin (1µm) foil has some drawbacks for high repetition-rate (>kHz) operation; for example, one has to replace the target after each shot. To resolve target life-time issues, fast target replacement schemes have been introduced by some groups 8,15,[17][18][19] . In particular, using ∼ 100 mJ of pulse energy at 10 Hz repetition-rate, Ditmire et. al. 8 used deuterium clusters, which were rapidly heated by the laser pulse (on a femtosecond time scale) and launched few a) Now at Physics Department, Lancaster University, UK keV deuterons to drive D−D fusion reactions.In this Letter, we report the production of neutrons using a high repetition-rate ( 1 ⁄2 kHz) femtosecond laser at high intensities (> 10 19 Wcm −2 for vacuum focus) but low pulse energies (several-mJ) interacting with a heavy...

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confidence: 99%

High repetition-rate neutron generation by several-mJ, 35 fs pulses interacting with free-flowing D2O

Hah

Petrov

Nees

et al. 2016

Applied Physics Letters

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“…In practical situations, perturbations to that symmetry (e.g., an initial shape which is not perfectly spherical, or collisions with heavy particles) would cause a mixing in L distribution, and their effect could be taken into account by introducing a collision term such as the one in Eq. (8).…”

Section: Kinetic Models For the Expansionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, the expansion of spherical plasmas [such as the nm-to µm-sized plasmas generated upon interaction of ultraintense lasers with atomic or molecular clusters (cf. [8,9,10,11,12])] have not been analyzed as thoroughly. A deep knowledge of the expansion (accounting for the self-consistent dynamics of ions and electrons) can be relevant in particular situations where accurate control over the expansion is necessary, examples being the double-pump irradiation of deuterium clusters aimed at tailoring the ion dynamics so as to induce intracluster fusion reactions [13], or the biomolecular imaging with ultrashort X-ray pulses [14], where expansion control is needed to avoid significant damages of the sample before the typical imaging time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ergodic model for the expansion of spherical nanoplasmas

et al. 2007

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“…Plus spécifiquement, dans le cas d'agrégats soumisà des champś electriques très intenses (F > 10 9 V/cm), le couplageénergétique entre la lumière laser et la matière est très efficace. Cette efficacité se traduit par toute une série d'observations expérimentales très différentes de ce qui se passe avec des atomes, des petites molécules voire des solides: production d'ions très chargés ayant desénergies jusqu'au MeV [1], d'électrons "chauds" de quelques keV [2] et de photons X dans le domaine du keV [3,4,5,6]. Les agrégats forment une cible unique réunissant les avantages des cibles gazeuses et solides.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Source X par agrégats : contrôle et optimisation des paramètres gouvernant l'interaction laser de puissance–agrégats de gaz rare

Lamour¹,

Prigent²,

Rozet³

et al. 2005

J. Phys. IV France

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Résumé. Les expériences que nous avons réalisées sur le Laser Ultra Court Accordable du CEA Saclay permettent d'observer l'émission de photons X dans la gamme 1-5 keV lors de l'irradiation d'agrégats de gaz rare (Ar, Kr et Xe comprenant entre 10 3 et 10 6 atomes par agrégat) avec un laser femtoseconde de puissance (I pic jusqu'à 10 17 W/cm 2 ). En plus de la distribution desétats de charge des ions responsables de l'émission X, la technique de spectroscopie X que nous utilisons permet de mesurer les taux absolus de photonsémis dans 4 par impulsion laser en fonction des paramètres gouvernant l'interaction dans des conditions contrôlées. Nous avons déterminé la sensibilité des paramètres physiques régissant la production du rayonnement X pendant l'interaction, ce qui permet d'accéderà l'optimisation de cette source. Cet article est plus particulièrement dédié aux résultas relatifsà l'évolution du taux d'X avec l'éclairement laser, d'une part, et avec la durée de l'impulsion laser, d'autre part.

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High-energy ions produced in explosions of superheated atomic clusters

Cited by 631 publications

References 27 publications

High repetition-rate neutron generation by several-mJ, 35 fs pulses interacting with free-flowing D2O

High repetition-rate neutron generation by several-mJ, 35 fs pulses interacting with free-flowing D2O

Ergodic model for the expansion of spherical nanoplasmas

Source X par agrégats : contrôle et optimisation des paramètres gouvernant l'interaction laser de puissance–agrégats de gaz rare

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