Beam-target Neutron Research Articles

Spot size measurement of a deuterium-tritium dense plasma focus using neutron radiography.

Neutron radiography is a technique uniquely suited to applications in nuclear diagnostics, non-destructive testing, and subcritical experiments. The spatial resolution of neutron radiographs is degraded by optical blur in the imaging system and the neutron source size, where the ideal source is point-like to optimize the point-spread function. A potential neutron source for radiography is the dense plasma focus (DPF), a coaxial Z-pinch that produces thermonuclear and beam-target neutrons. To assess if the source size is suitable for radiography, a neutron imaging system was used to measure the source size of the 4 MA Sodium DPF at the Nevada National Security Site operating with deuterium-tritium gas-fill. The source size was measured using the edge-spread function of tungsten objects, each having a rolled (convex) edge. The spot size was found to be 7-12mm full-width at half-max(FWHM) assuming a Gaussian source, though comparison is presented for Lorentzian and Bennett distributions. The average FWHM was found to be 8.6 ± 1.2mm vertically and 10.8 ± 1.2mm horizontally with respect to the image plane, averaging over varied edges and alignments. The results were sensitive to source alignment and edge metrology, which introduced notable uncertainties. These results are consistent with separate experimental measurements as well as magnetohydrodynamics simulations of this DPF, which suggest that neutron production can originate from pinches ∼5-7mm off-axis. These results suggest that the DPF should be used for radiography at low magnification (M < 1) where spot size does not dominate spatial blur.

Modeling of ion accelerated by borehole radiation pressure based on deep learning

Laser-driven ion acceleration has potential applications in high energy density matter, ion beam-driven fast ignition, beam target neutron source, warm dense matter heating, etc. Ultrashort relativistic laser interacting with solid target can generate ion beam with several hundreds of MeV in energy, and the quality of the ion beam depends strongly on the interaction parameters between the laser and the target. Development in deep learning can provide new method of analyzing the relationship between parameters in physics system, which can significantly reduce the computational and experimental cost. In this paper, a continuous mapping model of ion peak and cutoff energy is developed based on a fully connected neural network (FCNN). In the model, the dataset is composed of nearly 400 sets of particle simulations of laser-driven solid targets, and the input parameters are laser intensity, target density, target thickness, and ion mass. The model uses sparse parameter values to obtain the analysis results in a large range of parameters, which greatly reduces the computational amount of multi-dimensional parameters sweeping in a wide range. Based on the results of this model mapping, the correction formula for the ion peak energy is obtained. Furthermore, the ratio of ion cutoff energy to peak energy of each set of particle simulation is calculated. Repeating the same training process of ion peak energy and cutoff energy, the continuous mapping model of energy ratio is developed. According to the energy ratio model mapping results, the quantitative description of the relationship between ion cutoff energy and peak energy is realized, and the fitting formula for the cutoff energy of the hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration (HB-RPA) mechanism is obtained, which can provide an important reference for designing the laser-driven ion acceleration experiments.

Ultrashort pulsed neutron source driven by two counter-propagating laser pulses interacting with ultra-thin foil

Neutron production via D(d, n)&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;He nuclear reaction during the interaction of two counter-propagating circularly polarized laser pulses with ultra-thin deuterium target is investigated by particle-in-cell simulation and Monte Carlo method. It is found that the rotation direction and initial relative phase difference of laser electric field vector have important effects on deuterium foil compression and neutron characteristics. The reason is attributed to the net light pressure and the difference in transverse instability development. The highest neutron yield can be obtained by choosing two laser pulses with a relative phase difference of 0 and the same rotation direction of the electric field vector. When the relative phase difference is 0.5π or 1.5π and the rotation direction of electric field vector is different, the neutrons have a directional spatial distribution and the neutron yield only slightly decreases. For left-handed circularly polarized laser pulse and right-handed circularly polarized laser pulse, each with an intensity of 1.23 × 10&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt; W/cm&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, a pulse width of 33 fs and a relative phase difference of 0.5π, it is possible to produce a pulsed neutron source with a yield of 8.5 × 10&lt;sup&gt;4&lt;/sup&gt; n, production rate of 1.2 × 10&lt;sup&gt;19&lt;/sup&gt; n/s, pulse width of 23 fs and good forward direction as well as tunable spatial distribution. Comparing with photonuclear neutron source and beam target neutron source driven by ultraintense laser pulses, the duration of neutron source in our scheme decreases significantly, thereby possessing many potential applications such as neutron nuclear data measurement. Our scheme offers a possible method to obtain a compact neutron source with short pulse width, high production rate and good forward direction.

Pushing the limits of existing plasma focus towards 1016 fusion neutrons with Q = 0.01

Existing conventional megajoule plasma focus machines with 2–3 MA are producing fusion neutron yields of several times 1011 in deuterium operation, the fusion yields predominantly being the beam-gas target. Increasing the current to 10 MA and using 50%–50% D-T mixture will scale the neutron yield towards 1016 D-T fusion neutrons. In this work, we derive the Lawson criterion for plasma focus devices with a beam-target fusion neutron mechanism, so that we may glimpse what future technological advancements are needed for a break-even Q = 1 plasma focus. We perform numerical experiments with a present-day feasible 0.9 MV, 8.1 MJ, 11 MA machine operating in 100 Torr in 50%–50% D-T mixture. The Lee Code simulation gives a detailed description of the plasma focus dynamics through each phase, and provides plasma and yield parameters which show that out of 1.1 × 1019 fast beam ions produced in the plasma focus pinch, only 1.24 × 1014 ions take part in beam-target fusion reactions within the pinch, producing the same number of D-T neutrons. The remnant beam ions, numbering at least 1019, exit the focus pinch at 1.9 MeV, which is far above the 115 keV ion energy necessary for an optimum beam-target cross-section. We propose to regain the lost fusion rates by using a high-pressure D-T-filled drift-tube to attenuate the energy of the remnant beam ions until they reach the energy for the optimum fusion cross-section. Such a fusion enhancement tube would further harvest beam-target fusion reactions by increasing the interaction path length (1 m) at increased interaction density (6 atm). A gain factor of 300 is conservatively estimated, with a final yield of 3.7 × 1016 D-T neutrons carrying kinetic energy of 83.6 kJ, demonstrating Q = 0.01.

Analysis of the fusion performance, beam–target neutrons and synergistic effects of JET’s high-performance pulses

Achieving high neutron yields in today’s fusion research relies on high-power auxiliary heating in order to attain required core temperatures. This is usually achieved by means of high neutral beam (NB) and radio frequency (RF) power. Application of NB power is accompanied by production of fast beam ions and associated beam–target (BT) reactions. In standard JET operational conditions, deuterium (D) NBs are injected into D plasmas. The injected beams comprise D atoms at full, one-half and one-third injected energy. Typically, the full energy of the injected D beams is between 90 and 120 keV, providing 1.4–2.0 MW of heating, which is about half of the injected power. Half-energy D beams carry about one-third of the injected power and the rest of the power is carried by the third energy fraction of D beams. Under these conditions, thermal fusion reactions, i.e. those between plasma ions, and BT reactions are of the same order of magnitude. This study addresses important issues regarding the impact of density, central electron and ion temperatures and their ratio, T i(0)/T e(0), on fusion performance, measured by the total neutron yield and BT neutron counts. NB/RF synergistic effects are discussed as well. It is demonstrated that thermal fusion gain increases linearly with normalised plasma pressure, β N, and confinement, B t τ. The BT neutrons are, however, more difficult to predict and this task in general requires numerical treatment. In this study, BT neutrons in JET’s best-performing baseline and hybrid pulses are analysed and the underlying dependencies discussed. Central fast ion densities are found to decrease with increased density and density peaking. This is attributed to poorer beam penetration at high density. The BT reactions however are unchanged and can even increase if operating at higher core temperatures. An increase in the central ion temperature and T i(0)/T e(0) ratio leads to higher total and BT reaction rates whilst simultaneously the ratio of the BT to total neutron decreases significantly. NB/RF synergistic effects are found to have a negligible impact on total neutron rate. This can be explained by the reduced beam penetration in high-density conditions leading to lower central fast ion density.

Magnetohydrodynamic simulations of a megaampere-class Kr-doped deuterium dense plasma focus

The addition of Kr dopant to a deuterium or deuterium–tritium dense plasma focus (DPF) is conventionally thought to enhance radiative cooling of the imploding sheath, resulting in a tighter pinch and, under optimized conditions, increased neutron yield [M. Krishnan, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 40, 3189 (2012)]. In this work, 2D radiation magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations are conducted of a DPF at peak current levels in the 2–3 MA range with Kr dopant concentrations of 0%, 0.1%, and 1.0% (by volume). Fully kinetic simulations are required to accurately model the pinch stagnation and accurately predict total neutron yield (thermonuclear + beam target), as MHD simulations cannot capture kinetic effects or beam-target neutron production. However, insights can be gained from following the evolution of the bulk dynamics of the sheath. The results show that sheath width narrows with increasing dopant concentration due to increased radiation. Thermonuclear neutron yields of ∼109−1010 are observed, which is in good agreement with experimental data [E. N. Hahn et al., J. Appl. Phys. 128, 143302 (2020)] and simulations [N. Bennett et al., Phys. Plasmas 24, 021702 (2017)] that measure yields of ∼1011 at ∼2 MA with ∼1% of that yield having thermonuclear origin. Scaling in excess of the conventional ∝I4 scaling is observed, though this should be confirmed with 3D and/or fully kinetic simulations of Kr-doped DPFs.

MHD Simulation of Physical Processes in Spherical Plasma-Focus Chambers with Allowance for Neutron Generation

The results of the development of a two-dimensional MHD code for carrying out computational studies of the dynamics of plasma current sheath in spherical chambers with a plasma focus are presented. Equations of magnetohydrodynamics with allowance for magnetic field diffusion, thermal conductivity and plasma radiation are used in this work. An implicit scheme is used in the calculation of the magnetic field, which makes it possible to describe the motion of plasma in a low-density region behind the plasma sheath. The formulas that take into account the possible appearance of anomalous resistance in the plasma are used to calculate the plasma conductivity. The neutron yield is calculated with allowance for thermonuclear and beam–target neutron generation mechanisms. The effect of the minimum residual gas density behind the plasma sheath on the cumulation of the plasma sheath is studied. The effects of magnetic field diffusion, thermal conductivity and anomalous plasma resistance on the plasma sheath dynamics are considered. The calculations are performed for two spherical plasma-focus chambers operating with currents up to 1 and 2 MA and neutron yields to 1012 and 1.5 × 1013 DT neutrons, respectively. The comparison of the calculated dependences with experimental data on the current, voltage and neutron yield made it possible to refine the parameters used in the calculations and achieve a satisfactory agreement between the simulation and experiment.

Neutron yield and ion production with respect to cathode radius in spherical plasma focus

The effect of the cathode radius variation (from 11.5 cm to 17 cm) on neutron yield, discharge current, plasma temperature, and ion properties (velocity, energy, and density) are investigated in this study using the developed spherical plasma focus model and the results are reported in this paper. Peak discharge current and peak beam-ion properties decrease with increasing the cathode radius. Maximum plasma temperature (22.34 eV) and maximum beam-target neutron yield (1.18×1013) are achieved using the cathode with 15 cm radius. The longest pinch duration for all calculations is also achieved using 15 cm cathode radius. It is found that the optimum cathode radius is 15 cm in terms of the neutron yield, plasma temperature and beam-ion properties in spherical plasma focus device.

A Neutron Source With 10¹³ Neutron Yield and Ion Properties With Respect to Gas Pressure in a Spherical Plasma Focus

The effect of gas pressure on the neutron yield and ion properties is investigated in this article by using the developed model. The gas pressure range is from 1 to 40 Torr with 1-Torr increment in the spherical plasma focus device using an equal amount deuterium–tritium gas mixture. The beam-target neutron yield, beam-ion speed, beam-ion energy, plasma column ion density, beam-ion density, and plasma temperature are calculated with respect to gas pressure variation. Increasing the gas pressure leads to an increase in the neutron yield until 26-Torr gas pressure. But, beyond 26 Torr, increasing gas pressure results in decreasing neutron yield. This result indicates that the optimum gas pressure for neutron yield in the spherical plasma focus device is 26 Torr with $1.42 \times 10^{13}$ neutrons for used operating parameters, which are 25-kV charging voltage, 36-nH external inductance, and 432- $\mu \text{F}$ capacitor bank. This device has an 8-cm inner electrode radius and a 14.5-cm outer electrode radius. While beam-ion and plasma-ion densities increase with the gas pressure, the beam-ion speed and energy decrease. It is also found that the plasma loses less energy for higher gas pressures through radiation emissions compared to lower gas pressures. Since there is not enough published experimental data about spherical plasma focus devices, this article is conducted with the simulation of the spherical plasma focus device.

Measurements and Simulations of Neutron Emission Versus Deuterium Filling Pressure in Plasma Focus Device PF-24

A series of experiments were carried out using the middle energy (dense) plasma focus device PF-24 with deuterium as a working gas under pressure in a range between 2 and 5 mbar for 17 kV of charging voltage. The relationship between these operating deuterium pressures in reference to the total neutron yield (Yn) was estimated. The 5-phase Lee code was used to simulate the measured discharge current and neutron yield (Yn) using a phenomenological beam-target neutron generating mechanism, which was incorporated in the model. Comparison of the Yn versus pressure using fitted model parameters was made at each point of pressure. The good agreement between measured and computed Yn values was achieved for discharges with lower neutron emission. The measured Yn (below 2.6 × 109 n/discharge—the median value) has been reproducible by the model for 73% of simulated discharges, while above the median value its prediction were incorrect. The kinetic plasma parameters which were measured and computed using the Lee code for different pressures are: the time to a current sheath collapse (tc), the average axial current sheath velocity (vz) and the so called velocity factor (RF). Good agreement was found in the whole range of deuterium pressures between the computed and measured results for these kinematic quantities. Presented findings in this work suggest that the character of neutron emission is more complex than it would seem from classical interpretation of neutron production based on a beam-target model.

Experimental investigation of beam-target neutron emission at the ELISE neutral beam test facility

A dedicated experiment on beam-target neutron emission has been performed at the ELISE neutral beam test facility to investigate the accuracy of Local Mixing Model based calculations of neutron emission of relevance for the design of neutron diagnostics at the SPIDER neutral beam prototype. Compared to a previous experiment, we make use of fully developed infra-red and calorimetry diagnostics to include accurate data on beam profile and current in the calculations. Results show that variations of the neutron emission can be predicted with an accuracy better than 10%, which compares to 30% in our previous investigation. At the same time, convincing evidence of diffusion effects beyond the Local Mixing Model is identified in the data. Implications of these findings for neutron emission at SPIDER are discussed.

MHD Simulation for Neutron Yield, Radiations and Beam-Ion Properties in the Spherical Plasma Focus

The developed spherical plasma focus model is used to investigate the neutron production and radiations emitted at the pinch. Theory of the neutron yield and radiations emitted in the radiative phase of the spherical plasma focus device is included in this paper. Since the neutron yield in the spherical plasma focus is from the beam-target neutron production mechanism, the beam-target neutron production is used for calculating the neutron yield. The achieved neutron yield with 14.5 Torr of DT mixture (1:1) filling gas, 25 kV of charging voltage and 432 muF of capacitor bank is 1.3 × 103. This result agrees to a large extend with other experimental measured value. The effect of the bremsstrahlung, radiative recombination and line radiations as the energy loss terms and of the Joule heating with the plasma resistance as the energy gain term on the plasma column is investigated. Plasma-ion density, beam-ion density and beam-ion speed are calculated under the diode voltage in the radiative phase of the spherical plasma focus.

Neutron spectra from beam-target reactions in dense Z-pinches

The energy spectrum of neutrons emitted by a range of deuterium and deuterium-tritium Z-pinch devices is investigated computationally using a hybrid kinetic-MHD model. 3D MHD simulations are used to model the implosion, stagnation, and break-up of dense plasma focus devices at currents of 70 kA, 500 kA, and 2 MA and also a 15 MA gas puff. Instabilities in the MHD simulations generate large electric and magnetic fields, which accelerate ions during the stagnation and break-up phases. A kinetic model is used to calculate the trajectories of these ions and the neutron spectra produced due to the interaction of these ions with the background plasma. It is found that these beam-target neutron spectra are sensitive to the electric and magnetic fields at stagnation resulting in significant differences in the spectra emitted by each device. Most notably, magnetization of the accelerated ions causes the beam-target spectra to be isotropic for the gas puff simulations. It is also shown that beam-target spectra can have a peak intensity located at a lower energy than the peak intensity of a thermonuclear spectrum. A number of other differences in the shapes of beam-target and thermonuclear spectra are also observed for each device. Finally, significant differences between the shapes of beam-target DD and DT neutron spectra, due to differences in the reaction cross-sections, are illustrated.

Design of Apparatus in Z-Pinch Plasma Neutron Sources for Fusion-Fission Breeders

In the fast Z-pinch experiments, the beam-target neutrons, the Deuterium-Deuterium neutrons and Deuterium-Tritium neutrons can be generated. It is a good idea to use deuterium Z-pinch plasmas to generate fusion neutrons which can be used in the fusion-fission breeders. The common design of Z-pinch plasmas apparatuses was introduced. The design of Z-pinch apparatuses for fusion-fission breeders is proposed.

Fast ion confinement and stability in a neutral beam injected reversed field pinch

The behavior of energetic ions is fundamentally important in the study of fusion plasmas. While well-studied in tokamak, spherical torus, and stellarator plasmas, relatively little is known in reversed field pinch plasmas about the dynamics of fast ions and the effects they cause as a large population. These studies are now underway in the Madison Symmetric Torus with an intense 25 keV, 1 MW hydrogen neutral beam injector (NBI). Measurements of the time-resolved fast ion distribution via a high energy neutral particle analyzer, as well as beam-target neutron flux (when NBI fuel is doped with 3–5% D2) both demonstrate that at low concentration the fast ion population is consistent with classical slowing of the fast ions, negligible cross-field transport, and charge exchange as the dominant ion loss mechanism. A significant population of fast ions develops; simulations predict a super-Alfvénic ion density of up to 25% of the electron density with both a significant velocity space gradient and a sharp radial density gradient. There are several effects on the background plasma including enhanced toroidal rotation, electron heating, and an altered current density profile. The abundant fast particles affect the plasma stability. Fast ions at the island of the core-most resonant tearing mode have a stabilizing effect, and up to 60% reduction in the magnetic fluctuation amplitude is observed during NBI. The sharp reduction in amplitude, however, has little effect on the underlying magnetic island structure. Simultaneously, beam driven instabilities are observed as repetitive ∼50 μs bursts which coincide with fast particle redistribution; data indicate a saturated core fast ion density well below purely classical predictions.

Fuel ion ratio measurements in reactor relevant neutral beam heated fusion plasmas

In this paper, we present a method to derive n(t)/n(d) using the ratio of the thermonuclear neutron emission to the beam-target neutron emission. We apply it to neutron spectroscopy data from the magnetic proton recoil spectrometer taken during the deuterium tritium experiment at JET. n(t)/n(d)-values obtained using neutron spectroscopy are in qualitative agreement with those from other diagnostics measuring the isotopic composition of the exhaust in the divertor.

Comparison of bulk and pitcher-catcher targets for laser-driven neutron production

Laser-driven d(d, n)-3He beam-target fusion neutron production from bulk deuterated plastic (CD) targets is compared with a pitcher-catcher target scheme using an identical laser and detector arrangement. For laser intensities in the range of (1–3) × 1019 W cm−2, it was found that the bulk targets produced a high yield (5 × 104 neutrons per steradian) beamed preferentially in the laser propagation direction. Numerical modeling shows the importance of considering the temperature adjusted stopping powers to correctly model the neutron production. The bulk CD targets have a high background target temperature leading to a reduced stopping power for the deuterons, which increases the probability of generating neutrons by fusion. Neutron production from the pitcher-catcher targets was not as efficient since it does not benefit from the reduced stopping power in the cold catcher target. Also, the inhibition of the deuteron acceleration by a proton rich contamination layer significantly reduces the pitcher-catcher neutron production.

Kinetic simulation of thermonuclear-neutron production by a 107-A deuterium Z pinch

Fully kinetic simulations have demonstrated that at sufficiently high currents, half of the neutrons produced by a deuterium Z-pinch are thermonuclear in origin. At 150-kA pinch current, O. A. Anderson et al. [Phys. Rev. 110, 1375 (1958)] clearly shows that essentially all of the neutrons produced by a deuterium pinch are not thermonuclear, but are initiated by an instability that creates beam-target neutrons. Since this paper, many subsequent authors have supported this result while others have claimed that pinch neutrons are, on the contrary, thermonuclear. To resolve this issue, fully kinetic, collisional, and electromagnetic simulations of the complete time evolution of a deuterium pinch have been performed. The simulations were performed with the implicit particle-in-cell code LSP, as described in D. R. Welch et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 255002 (2009)]. At 106 -A pinch currents, most of the neutrons are, indeed, beam-target in origin. At 15-MA current, half of the neutrons are thermonuclear and half are beam-target driven by instabilities that produce a power law fall off in the ion energy distribution function at large energy. Simulation results suggest that from 7- to 15-MA current, the fraction of thermonuclear neutrons is not sensitive to current and that the strong dependence of neutron yield on current will continue at currents greater than 15 MA.

Fully Kinetic Particle-in-Cell Simulations of a Deuterium Gas PuffzPinch

We present the first fully kinetic, collisional, and electromagnetic simulations of the complete time evolution of a deuterium gas puff z pinch. Recent experiments with 15-MA current pinches have suggested that the dominant neutron-production mechanism is thermonuclear. We observe distinct differences between the kinetic and magnetohydrodynamic simulations in the pinch evolution with the kinetic simulations producing both thermonuclear and beam-target neutrons. The kinetic approach demonstrated in this Letter represents a viable alternative for performing future plasma physics calculations.

Z-pinch plasma neutron sources

A deuterium gas-puff load imploded by a multi-MA current driver from a large initial diameter could be a powerful source of fusion neutrons, a plasma neutron source (PNS). Unlike the beam-target neutrons produced in Z-pinch plasmas in the 1950s and deuterium-fiber experiments in the 1980s, the neutrons generated in deuterium gas-puffs with current levels achieved in recent experiments on the Z facility at Sandia National Laboratories could contain a substantial fraction of thermonuclear origin. For recent deuterium gas-puff shots on Z, our analytic estimates and one- and two-dimensional simulations predict thermal neutron yields ∼3×1013, in fair agreement with the yields recently measured on Z [C. A. Coverdale et al., Phys. Plasmas (to be published)]. It is demonstrated that the hypothesis of a beam-target origin of the observed fusion neutrons implies a very high Z-pinch-driver-to-fast-ions energy transfer efficiency, 5 to 10%, which would make a multi-MA deuterium Z-pinch the most efficient light-ion accelerator. No matter what mechanism is eventually determined to be responsible for generating fusion neutrons in deuterium gas-puff shots on Z, the deuterium neutron yield is shown to scale as Yn∼Im4, where Im is the peak current of the pinch. Theoretical estimates and numerical modeling of deuterium gas-puff implosions demonstrate that the yields of thermonuclear fusion neutrons that can be produced on ZR and the next-generation machines are sufficiently high to make PNS the most powerful, cost- and energy-efficient laboratory sources of 2.5−14MeV fusion neutrons, just like plasma radiation sources are the most powerful sources of soft and keV x rays. In particular, the predicted deuterium-tritium thermal neutron-producing capability of PNS driven by the next-generation ZR and ZX accelerators is ∼5×1016 and ∼1018, respectively.