• Matter and Radiation at Extremes
  • Vol. 9, Issue 5, 057202 (2024)
Zhiyu Lei1,2, Hanghang Ma1,2,3, Xiaobo Zhang1,2,4, Lin Yu1,2..., Yihang Zhang5, Yutong Li5, Suming Weng1,2, Min Chen1,2, Jie Zhang1,2,3 and Zhengming Sheng1,2,3,a)|Show fewer author(s)
Author Affiliations
  • 1Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas and School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
  • 2Collaborative Innovation Centre of IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
  • 3Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 201210, China
  • 4College of Physics and Electronics Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
  • 5Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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    DOI: 10.1063/5.0208901 Cite this Article
    Zhiyu Lei, Hanghang Ma, Xiaobo Zhang, Lin Yu, Yihang Zhang, Yutong Li, Suming Weng, Min Chen, Jie Zhang, Zhengming Sheng. Compact ultrafast neutron sources via bulk acceleration of deuteron ions in an optical trap[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2024, 9(5): 057202 Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    A scheme for a quasi-monoenergetic high-flux neutron source with femtosecond duration and highly anisotropic angular distribution is proposed. This scheme is based on bulk acceleration of deuteron ions in an optical trap or density grating formed by two counter-propagating laser pulses at an intensity of 1016W/cm2 in a near-critical-density plasma. The deuterons are first pre-accelerated to an energy of tens of keV in the ambipolar fields formed in the optical trap. Their energy is boosted to the MeV level by another one or two laser pulses at an intensity of 1020W/cm2, enabling fusion reactions to be triggered with high efficiency. In contrast to previously proposed pitcher–catcher configurations, our scheme can provide spatially periodic acceleration structures and effective collisions between deuterons inside the whole target volume. Subsequently, neutrons are generated directly inside the optical trap. Our simulations show that neutron pulses with energy 2–8 MeV, yield 1018–1019n/s, and total number 106–107 in a duration 400 fs can be obtained with a 25 μm target. Moreover, the neutron pulses exhibit unique angularly dependent energy spectra and flux distributions, predominantly along the axis of the energy-boosting lasers. Such microsize femtosecond neutron pulses may find many applications, such as high-resolution fast neutron imaging and nuclear physics research.
    vi,maxc=4kcτ0(1+k/k0)2meMDa02.

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    ne,critn0=MDvi,max23Te0.

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    Thot=mec21+(1Γ)a2+1+Γa22.

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    R=n1n21+δ12σv,

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    En=18Er2+19.6MeVEr+cos2θn1/2+cosθn2.

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    2δTn(ps)=73d(mm)1Enl(MeV)1Enh(MeV).

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    Zhiyu Lei, Hanghang Ma, Xiaobo Zhang, Lin Yu, Yihang Zhang, Yutong Li, Suming Weng, Min Chen, Jie Zhang, Zhengming Sheng. Compact ultrafast neutron sources via bulk acceleration of deuteron ions in an optical trap[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2024, 9(5): 057202
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