Nuclear Reactions Induced by Laser-Accelerated Light Ions

ORAL

Abstract

We report results of the first set of nuclear reaction experiments conducted with a novel platform that has been installed and set up at the high-power (~1018 W/cm2), short-pulse (10-ps) OMEGA EP laser system. In the setup, planar “converter” target foils are irradiated in a controlled fashion with a tightly focused short laser beam pulse. The laser pulse ionizes the converter and generates an enormous Coulomb field, which extracts charged particles from the converter back surface and accelerates them to MeV energies. In the present experiments, such “beams” of protons and deuterons are used to induce nuclear reactions in a secondary “physics” target placed closely behind the converter target. A satisfactory performance of the platform is demonstrated with a time-of-flight measurement of neutrons from the 9Be (d, n)10B stripping reaction, for which earlier data are available for comparison.

Presenters

  • Arnold Schwemmlein

    University of Rochester, Depts. Physics and Chemistry, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

Authors

  • Arnold Schwemmlein

    University of Rochester, Depts. Physics and Chemistry, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • Wolf Udo Schröder

    University of Rochester, University of Rochester, Depts. Physics and Chemistry, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • Christian Stoeckl

    University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • Chad Forrest

    Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • Vladimir Yu. Glebov

    University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • Sean P. Regan

    University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • T. Craig C Sangster

    University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • Wolfgang R. Theobald

    Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester