High deuteron and neutron yields from the interaction of a petawatt laser with a cryogenic deuterium jet

Jiao X, Curry CB, Gauthier M, Chou HG, Fiuza F, Kim JB, Phan DD, McCary E, Galtier EC, Dyer GM, Ofori-Okai BK, Labun L, Labun OZ, Schönwälder C, Roycroft R, Tiwari G, Glenn GD, Treffert F, Glenzer SH, Hegelich BM (2023)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2023

Journal

Frontiers in Physics Frontiers Media

Book Volume: 10

Article Number: 964696

DOI: 10.3389/fphy.2022.964696

Abstract

A compact high-flux, short-pulse neutron source would have applications from nuclear astrophysics to cancer therapy. Laser-driven neutron sources can achieve fluxes much higher than spallation and reactor neutron sources by reducing the volume and time in which the neutron-producing reactions occur by orders of magnitude. We report progress towards an efficient laser-driven neutron source in experiments with a cryogenic deuterium jet on the Texas Petawatt laser. Neutrons were produced both by laser-accelerated multi-MeV deuterons colliding with Be and mixed metallic catchers and by d (d,n)3He fusion reactions within the jet. We observed deuteron yields of 1013/shot in quasi-Maxwellian distributions carrying (Formula presented.) of the input laser energy. We obtained neutron yields greater than 1010/shot and found indications of a deuteron-deuteron fusion neutron source with high peak flux ((Formula presented.) cm−2 s−1). The estimated fusion neutron yield in our experiment is one order of magnitude higher than any previous laser-induced dd fusion reaction. Though many technical challenges will have to be overcome to convert this proof-of-principle experiment into a consistent ultra-high flux neutron source, the neutron fluxes achieved here suggest laser-driven neutron sources can support laboratory study of the rapid neutron-capture process, which is otherwise thought to occur only in astrophysical sites such as core-collapse supernova, and binary neutron star mergers.

Authors with CRIS profile

Christopher Schönwälder Lehrstuhl für Physik

Involved external institutions

Stanford National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) US United States (USA) (US) University of Texas at Austin US United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Jiao, X., Curry, C.B., Gauthier, M., Chou, H.G., Fiuza, F., Kim, J.B.,... Hegelich, B.M. (2023). High deuteron and neutron yields from the interaction of a petawatt laser with a cryogenic deuterium jet. Frontiers in Physics, 10. https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2022.964696

MLA:

Jiao, X., et al. "High deuteron and neutron yields from the interaction of a petawatt laser with a cryogenic deuterium jet." Frontiers in Physics 10 (2023).

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