Lelièvre, R.; Catrix, E.; Vallières, S.; Fourmaux, S.; Allaoua, A.; Anthonippillai, V.; Antici, P.; Ducasse, Q.; Fuchs, J. High Repetition-Rate 0.5 Hz Broadband Neutron Source Driven by the Advanced Laser Light Source. Preprints2024, 2024052051. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.2051.v1
APA Style
Lelièvre, R., Catrix, E., Vallières, S., Fourmaux, S., Allaoua, A., Anthonippillai, V., Antici, P., Ducasse, Q., & Fuchs, J. (2024). High Repetition-Rate 0.5 Hz Broadband Neutron Source Driven by the Advanced Laser Light Source. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.2051.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Lelièvre, R., Quentin Ducasse and Julien Fuchs. 2024 "High Repetition-Rate 0.5 Hz Broadband Neutron Source Driven by the Advanced Laser Light Source" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.2051.v1
Abstract
Neutron beams are an essential tool to investigate material structure and perform non-destructive analysis, as they give unique access to element composition, thus ideally complementing density analysis allowed by standard X-rays investigation. Laser-driven neutron sources, though compact and cost-effective, currently have lower average flux than conventional neutron sources, due to the limited repetition rate of the lasers used so far. However, advancements in laser technology allow nowadays to address this challenge. Here we report results obtained at the Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS) characterizing stable production of broadband (0.1-2 MeV) neutrons produced at a high repetition rate (0.5 Hz). The interaction of laser pulses of 22 fs duration and 3.2 J on-target energy with 2-µm-thick tantalum targets produced protons in the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA) regime up to 7.3 MeV. These protons were subsequently converted into neutrons by (p,n) reactions in Lithium fluoride (LiF). Activation measurements and bubble detectors were used to characterize neutron emissions, with a neutron fluence of up to ~ 1.4 × 105 neutrons/shot/sr, and energies mainly between a few hundred of keV and 2 MeV. The total neutron yield was ~ 5 × 105 neutrons/shot. This paves the way for numerous applications, e.g. in homeland security, material science or cultural heritage.
Physical Sciences, Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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