Laser Driven Neutron Sources: Characteristics, Applications and Prospects

Álvarez, Jesús Miguel Muñoz; Fernández-Tobias, J.; Mima, K.; Nakai, S.; Kar, S.; Kato, Yoshiaki; Perlado, J.M.

doi:10.1016/j.phpro.2014.11.006

Cited by 39 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…[24] for a review of the current status of laser-driven neutron sources and the near future prospects). Among several methods and regimes for particle acceleration with laser and subsequent neutron production, the most widely employed is acceleration of light charged particles (p or d) in a pitcher by Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA) followed by the production of neutrons in a catcher via nuclear reactions such as p-Li, d-d, d-Be, etc.…”

Section: Laser-driven Neutron Sources For (N γ)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for direct neutron capture measurements on s-process branching point isotopes

et al. 2017

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Abstract. The neutron capture cross sections of several unstable key isotopes acting as branching points in the s-process are crucial for stellar nucleosynthesis studies, but they are very challenging to measure directly due to the difficult production of sufficient sample material, the high activity of the resulting samples, and the actual (n, γ) measurement, where high neutron fluxes and effective background rejection capabilities are required. At present there are about 21 relevant s-process branching point isotopes whose cross section could not be measured yet over the neutron energy range of interest for astrophysics. However, the situation is changing with some very recent developments and upcoming technologies. This work introduces three techniques that will change the current paradigm in the field: the use of γ-ray imaging techniques in (n, γ) experiments, the production of moderated neutron beams using high-power lasers, and double capture experiments in Maxwellian neutron beams.Nucleosynthesis of the elements heavier than iron is driven mainly by neutron capture reactions in stars. Half of the total amount of elements between Cu and Bi in the solar system was produced in the slow neutron capture process (s-process) in He-burning layers of low-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars and during the Heand C-burning phases of massive stars. The corresponding nucleosynthesis studies involve detailed stellar modelling constrained by spectroscopic observations and meteoritic stardust grains in which reliable information on the nuclear physics part, in particular on the basic nuclear data such as half-lives and neutron capture (n, γ) cross sections, constitutes an essential ingredient [1,2].The most crucial and difficult data to obtain in this respect are the stellar neutron capture (n, γ) cross sections of unstable isotopes, which are still very scarce or require substantial improvement. The importance of unstable isotopes is that they give rise to branchings in the s-process path due to the competition between β-decay and neutron capture, which depends on the neutron density, the Maxwellian Averaged Cross Section (MACS) and the mean thermal neutron velocity, i.e. the neutron energy a e-mail: carlos.guerrero@cern.ch distribution at a given temperature. In addition, both halflife and (n, γ) cross section values depend in some cases on the temperature of the stellar site because of the population of some levels above the ground state. This dependence has a sizable effect on s-process abundance calculations for some isotopes [3] and cannot be measured, so measurements have to be combined with models [4,5].Since the isotopic abundance pattern within a branching is sensitive to the neutron density and temperature, knowledge of the neutron capture cross section of the involved unstable isotope provides very valuable information on these parameters at the corresponding stellar site. One such example is the measurement of the 93 Zr(n, γ) cross section [6] which, in combination with spectroscopic observations and met...

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Section: Laser-driven Neutron Sources For (N γ)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for direct neutron capture measurements on s-process branching point isotopes

et al. 2017

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“…The scaling properties are generally attributed to the laser power dependence, where the reaction rate, the density of the plasma and the projected range of the plasma particle in the target medium play a decisive role. However, given the different conditions under which laser plasma experiments are performed, it is useful to sort and compare the results of different fusion experiments based on the dependence of neutron yield on a wide range of laser energy [8,9]. The large scatter of values in the publications presented so far indicates that laser parameters such as pulse energy, pulse duration and maximum intensity do not fully determine the fusion yield.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scaling of Laser Fusion Experiments for DD-Neutron Yield

Krása

Klír

2020

Front. Phys.

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Yields of neutrons produced in various laser fusion experiments conducted in recent decades are compared with each other. It has surprisingly been found that there is a possibility to make an overall elucidation of the variance in the number of neutrons produced in the various experiments. The common method is based on definition of the energy conversion efficiency as a ratio between the energy carried out by neutrons produced through the fusion reaction and the input energy given by laser energy, E, focused on a target. The neutron-yield-laser-energy (Y-E) diagram is the basic chart used to interpret the spread of experimental data in terms of the experimental efficiency of the laser-matter interaction. Experiments carried out using a single laser system show that laser energy dependence of the yield can be well-characterized by a power law, Y = QE α , where Q is the parameter reflecting possible dependence on the pulse duration, laser intensity, laser contrast ratio, focal geometry, target structure, etc. [1, 2]. Sorting the values of the neutron yields obtained in various experiments shows that the power law Y = Q E 1.65 is suitable to determine lines in the Y-E diagram each of them, where the value of Q is associated with quality of experimental conditions [3]. This sorting shows the order-of-magnitude differences in yields found in various experiments, which can be characterized by the value of the parameter Q. Due to the easy feasibility and the large number of DD fusion experiments performed, the overall Y-E diagram gives a chance to identify suitable laser systems for effective DD fusion experiments. It can, therefore, be assumed that some of the conclusions of these experiments could also be applied to the experimental arrangement suitable for optimizing p 11 B fusion.

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“…Neutrons can also be generated through nuclear fusions in laser-produced plasmas [14][15][16] or (γ, n) reactions [17,18]. Diagnosing pulsed neutrons is not only prerequisite to optimization of these neutron sources for applications, but also an essential tool for understanding fundamental physics in plasmas [19,20]. For example, in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) studies, plasma temperature and density distribution could be retrieved through the measurement of neutron yield and energy spectrum [21,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demonstration of laser-produced neutron diagnostic by radiative capture gamma-rays

Zhang

Wei

et al. 2018

Review of Scientific Instruments

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We report a new scenario of the time-of-flight technique in which fast neutrons and delayed gamma-ray signals were both recorded in a millisecond time window in harsh environments induced by high-intensity lasers. The delayed gamma signals, arriving far later than the original fast neutron and often being ignored previously, were identified to be the results of radiative captures of thermalized neutrons. The linear correlation between the gamma photon number and the fast neutron yield shows that these delayed gamma events can be employed for neutron diagnosis. This method can reduce the detecting efficiency dropping problem caused by prompt high-flux gamma radiation and provides a new way for neutron diagnosing in high-intensity laser-target interaction experiments.

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Laser Driven Neutron Sources: Characteristics, Applications and Prospects

Cited by 39 publications

References 34 publications

Prospects for direct neutron capture measurements on s-process branching point isotopes

Prospects for direct neutron capture measurements on s-process branching point isotopes

Scaling of Laser Fusion Experiments for DD-Neutron Yield

Demonstration of laser-produced neutron diagnostic by radiative capture gamma-rays

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