A tabletop, ultrashort pulse photoneutron source driven by electrons from laser wakefield acceleration

Jiao X.J.; Shaw J.M.; Wang T.; Wang X.M.; Tsai H.; Poth P.; Pomerantz I.; Labun L.A.; Toncian T.; Downer M.C.; Hegelich B.M.

doi:10.1016/j.mre.2017.10.003

Volume 2 Issue 6

Nov. 2017

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Article Navigation > Matter and Radiation at Extremes > 2017 > 2(6):

Jiao X.J., Shaw J.M., Wang T., Wang X.M., Tsai H., Poth P., Pomerantz I., Labun L.A., Toncian T., Downer M.C., Hegelich B.M.. A tabletop, ultrashort pulse photoneutron source driven by electrons from laser wakefield acceleration[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2017, 2(6). doi: 10.1016/j.mre.2017.10.003

Citation:

Jiao X.J., Shaw J.M., Wang T., Wang X.M., Tsai H., Poth P., Pomerantz I., Labun L.A., Toncian T., Downer M.C., Hegelich B.M.. A tabletop, ultrashort pulse photoneutron source driven by electrons from laser wakefield acceleration[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2017, 2(6). doi: 10.1016/j.mre.2017.10.003

Citation:

Jiao X.J., Shaw J.M., Wang T., Wang X.M., Tsai H., Poth P., Pomerantz I., Labun L.A., Toncian T., Downer M.C., Hegelich B.M.. A tabletop, ultrashort pulse photoneutron source driven by electrons from laser wakefield acceleration[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2017, 2(6). doi: 10.1016/j.mre.2017.10.003

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A tabletop, ultrashort pulse photoneutron source driven by electrons from laser wakefield acceleration

doi: 10.1016/j.mre.2017.10.003

1.
aCenter for High Energy Density Science, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
2.
bInstitut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
3.
cThe School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel

More Information

Corresponding author: *Corresponding author. E-mail address: jiao@utexas.edu (X.J. Jiao).
Received Date: 2017-07-06
Accepted Date: 2017-10-26

Available Online: 2021-12-07

Publish Date: 2017-11-15

Abstract

Abstract

Relativistic electron beams driven by laser wakefield acceleration were utilized to produce ultrashort neutron sources. The experiment was carried out on the 38 fs, ∼0.5 J, 800 nm Ti:Sapphire laser in the 10 TW UT³ laser lab at University of Texas at Austin. The target gas was a high density pulsed gas jet composed of 90% He and 10% N₂. The laser pulse with a peak intensity of 1.5 × 10¹⁸ W/cm² interacted with the target to create a cylindrical plasma channel of 60 μm radius (FWHM) and 1.5 mm length (FWHM). Electron beams of ∼80 pC with the Gaussian energy distribution centered at 37 MeV and a width of 30 MeV (FWHM) were produced via laser wakefield acceleration. Neutron fluences of ∼2.4 × 10⁶ per shot with hundreds of ps temporal length were generated through bremsstrahlung and subsequent photoneutron reactions in a 26.6 mm thick tungsten converter. Results were compared with those of simulations using EPOCH and GEANT4, showing agreement in electron spectrum, neutron fluence, neutron angular distribution and conversion rate.
- Neutron source,
- LWFA,
- Photoneutron reaction

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References(35)

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