Related papers: High-flux neutron generation by laser-accelerated …
We report on an experimental demonstration of efficient neutron generation based on direct laser acceleration in microwire-array targets irradiated by ultrashort (tens of femtoseconds) laser pulses. The optimal array period was identified,…
We present a laser-based neutron source that produces $1.8 \times 10^5$ neutrons/s with a conversion rate of $7.8 \times 10^5$ neutrons/J. Laser pulses of 12 fs and 23 mJ were focused onto a 430-nm-thick heavy water liquid sheet at a 10 Hz…
Ultra-intense MeV photon and neutron beams are indispensable tools in many research fields such as nuclear, atomic and material science as well as in medical and biophysical applications. For astrophysical applications aimed for laboratory…
A bright collimated neutron source is an essential tool for global security missions and fundamental scientific research. In this paper, we study a compact high-yield and high-angular-flux neutron source utilizing the break-up reaction of…
Due to their high cost of acquisition and operation, there are still a limited number of high-yield, high-flux neutron source facilities worldwide. In this context, laser-driven neutron sources offer a promising, cheaper alternative to…
Deciphering the conditions under which neutron captures occur in the Universe to synthesize heavy elements is an endeavour pursued since the 1950s, but that has proven elusive up to now due to the experimental difficulty of generating the…
We report the first experiment investigating ion acceleration and neutron generation irradiating thin plastic targets (CH2) and deuterated plastic targets (CD2) of thickness ranging from 30nm to 160nm using the 4PW (0.1 Hz) laser at CoReLS…
We report a laser-driven neutron source with high yield ($>10^8$/J) and high peak flux ($>10^{25}$/cm$^2$/s) derived from high-temperature deuteron-deuteron fusion reactions. The neutron yield and the fusion temperature ($\sim 200$ keV) in…
The possibility to use the ultrashort ion bunches produced by circularly polarized laser pulses to drive a source of fusion neutrons with sub-optical cycle duration is discussed. A two-side irradiation of a thin foil deuterated target…
The production of neutron-rich isotopes and the occurrence of neutron capture cascades via laser-driven (pulsed) neutron sources are investigated theoretically. The considered scenario involves the interaction of a laser-driven neutron beam…
We propose to produce neutron-rich nuclei in the range of the astrophysical r-process around the waiting point N=126 by fissioning a dense laser-accelerated thorium ion bunch in a thorium target (covered by a CH2 layer), where the light…
Laser-driven neutron sources are routinely produced by the interaction of laser-accelerated protons with a converter. They present complementary characteristics to those of conventional accelerator-based neutron sources (e.g. short pulse…
We report the creation of super-high-flux gamma-rays with energy >8 MeV and photo-neutrons via the (g,n) reaction near giant dipole resonance energies (8 - 20 MeV), using the ~130 J Texas Petawatt laser to irradiate high-Z (Au, Pt, Re, W)…
Micro- or nano-structured targets are advantageous in enhancing and manipulating laser-proton acceleration, due to the increased absorption of laser energy and onset of direct laser acceleration for high-energy electrons. Here, we…
Proton acceleration by using a 620-TW, 18-J laser pulse of peak intensity of $5\times 10^{21}$ W/cm$^{2}$ irradiating a disk target is examined using three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. It is shown that protons are accelerated…
We measured, using Petawatt-level pulses, the average ion energy and neutron yield in high-intensity laser interactions with molecular clusters as a function of laser intensity. The interaction volume over which fusion occurred (1-10 mm^3)…
Laser-driven proton sources have long been developed with an eye on their potential for medical application to radiation therapy. These sources are compact, versatile, and show peculiar characteristics such as extreme instantaneous dose…
The fission-fusion reaction mechanism was proposed in order to generate extremely neutron-rich nuclei close to the waiting point N = 126 of the rapid neutron capture nucleosynthesis process (r-process). The production of such isotopes and…
Short-pulse, ultra high-intensity lasers have opened new regimes for studying fusion plasmas and creating novel ultra-short ion beams and neutron sources. Diagnosing the plasma in these experiments is important for optimizing the fusion…
The production of intense neutron beams via thermonuclear reactions in laser-generated plasmas is investigated theoretically. So far, state-of-the-art neutron beams are produced via laser-induced particle acceleration leading to high-energy…