Design of a multi-detector, single line-of-sight, time-of-flight system to measure time-resolved neutron energy spectra.

Abstract

In the dynamic environment of burning, thermonuclear deuterium-tritium plasmas, diagnosing the time-resolved neutron energy spectrum is of critical importance. Strategies exist for this diagnosis in magnetic confinement fusion plasmas, which presently have a lifetime of ∼1012 longer than inertial confinement fusion (ICF) plasmas. Here, we present a novel concept for a simple, precise, and scale-able diagnostic to measure time-resolved neutron spectra in ICF plasmas. The concept leverages general tomographic reconstruction techniques adapted to time-of-flight parameter space, and then employs an updated Monte Carlo algorithm and National Ignition Facility-relevant constraints to reconstruct the time-evolving neutron energy spectrum. Reconstructed spectra of the primary 14.028MeV nDT peak are in good agreement with the exact synthetic spectra. The technique is also used to reconstruct the time-evolving downscattered spectrum, although the present implementation shows significantly more error.