Particle Transport Simulations in Support of Laser-Based X-ray Radiography

POSTER

Abstract

Novel MeV x-ray sources based on high-power short-pulse lasers have the potential to revolutionize radiography with their small spot size, short pulse duration, low cost, and flexibility. In this poster, we report on using the particle transport code MCNP in aid of laser-based x-ray radiography by 1) analyzing and optimizing the electron to x-ray bremsstrahlung converters, and 2) analyzing filter-stack spectrometers to successfully unfold the incident spectrum from the raw image plate data in experiments. Laser-based x-ray radiography uses short-pulse lasers to accelerate electrons, and a high-Z millimeter-scale converter to produce x-rays. Optimization of this converter is critical to efficiently use the incident electrons to best radiographic effect. We assess trade-offs among desired x-ray energy, effects on spot size, and electron blocking. Unfolding spectra from filter-stack spectrometers requires a detailed response matrix—the average energy deposited in each image plate per incident photon at a certain energy. We present a software stack to streamline this process.

*Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. DOE by Triad National Security, LLC, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. This work was supported the LANL Laboratory Directed Research and Development program. High-performance computing resources were provided by LANL's Institutional Computing program.

Presenters

  • Scott V Luedtke

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory

Authors

  • Scott V Luedtke

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Alemayehu Bogale

    • University of California, San Diego

  • Avneet Sood

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA
    • Los Alamos National Laboratory
    • LANL
    • Los Alamos Natl Lab

  • Joseph Strehlow

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA
    • Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Tim Wong

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Lin Yin

    • Los Alamos Natl Lab

  • Brian J Albright

    • Los Alamos Natl Lab
    • Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA