Library

Notes: A radiation source has been developed on the 20-MA Z facility that produces a high-power x-ray pulse, generated in the axial direction primarily from the interior of a collapsing dynamic hohlraum (DH). The hohlraum is created from a solid cylindrical CH2 target centered within an imploding tungsten wire-array Z pinch. Analyses and interpretation of measurements made of the x-ray generation within and radiated from the hohlraum target have been done using radiation-magnetohydrodynamic-code simulations in the r-z plane that take account of the magnetic Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) instability. These analyses suggest that a significantly reduced RT seed (relative to that used to explain targetless Z-pinch data on Z) is required to explain the observations. Although some quantitative and qualitative agreement with the measurements is obtained with the reduced RT seed, differences remain. Initial attempts to include into the simulations a precursor plasma, arising from wire material driven ahead of the main implosion, did not ameliorate the differences. Modification of the simulated W/CH2 interface may be required to properly explain the measured axial radiation pulse. This pulse, which exits a 4.5-mm2 hole centered above the target, begins ∼5 ns prior to stagnation (as defined by peak radial radiation power). The 5-ns interval leading to stagnation represents the duration when the imploding tungsten plasma acts as a hohlraum wall, trapping radiation within the interior of the foam target. The hohlraum radiation exiting the hole at 6 degrees to the z-axis reaches a maximum intensity of 3.1±0.6 TW/str (associated with an average hohlraum temperature of 215±10 eV), 1.4±0.4 ns prior to stagnation. (The uncertainties represent rms shot-to-shot variations.) This radiation pulse, characterized here, is useful for performing radiation-transport experiments with drive temperatures in excess of 200 eV. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: Progress in Z-pinch experiments at Sandia's Saturn facility have underscored a need for an absolute yield measurement for DD fusion neutrons. The technique chosen for making this absolute yield measurement was neutron activation of indium metal samples. To calibrate the technique, a 175-keV deuteron beam was allowed to impinge on a 3.0-μm-thick erbium deuteride target, producing neutrons through the 2H(d,n)3He fusion reaction. The neutron flux produced at 0° and incident on nominal 5-g indium samples was determined by the associated particle method. This method employed protons measured from the 2H(d,p)3H reaction to infer the neutron flux produced. After neutron irradiation, the activity of the indium samples was measured with a Ge gamma-ray detector. The total activity of the metastable state 115mIn (336.23 keV) was measured, compared with the total incident flux, and a calibration factor (indium counts/neutron/gram of indium) determined. For completeness, a calibration factor for DT neutrons from the 3H(d,n)4He fusion reaction was also obtained through the measured activity of the metastable state 114mIn(190.29 keV). The experiment and the measured calibration factors for both reactions are described in the paper.

Notes: Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator II is a light-ion fusion accelerator that is presently capable of irradiating a 6-mm-diam sphere with ∼50 kJ of 5.5-MeV protons in ∼15 ns. An array of particle and x-ray diagnostics fielded on proton Inertial Confinement Fusion target experiments quantifies the incident particle beam and the subsequent target response. An overview of the ion and target diagnostic setup and capabilities will be given in the context of recent proton beam experiments aimed at studying soft x-ray emission from foam-filled targets and the hydrodynamic response of exploding-pusher targets. Ion beam diagnostics indicate ∼100 kJ of proton beam energy incident within a 1.2-cm radius of the center of the diode with an azimuthal uniformity which varied between 6% and 29%. Foam-filled target temperatures of 35 eV and closure velocities of 4 cm/μs were measured.

Notes: We have measured the efficiency (tracks per incident neutron) of pure CR-39 for detecting DD and DT neutrons. Neutrons having average energies of 2.9 MeV (DD) and 14.8 MeV (DT) were produced by a 200-keV electrostatic accelerator and the neutron yields were measured using the associated particle counting technique. All CR-39 samples irradiated by DD or DT neutrons were etched for 2 h in a 70°, 6.25-N(underbar) NaOH bath. For bare CR-39, the efficiencies for detecting 2.9- and 14.8-MeV neutrons were found to be (1.3±0.4)×10−4 and (5.0±1.8)×10−5, respectively. We also investigated using CR-39 and polyimide as proton radiators. For detecting 2.9-MeV neutrons, the radiators had no significant effect on efficiency; but for detecting 14.8-MeV neutrons the polyimide radiator increased the efficiency to (7.8±2.8)×10−5.

Notes: The Laser Evaporation Ion Source (LEVIS) active lithium ion source has been developed for use on the focusing ion diode operated on the 10 TW Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator-II (PBFA-II) [J. P. VanDevender and D. L. Cook, Science 232, 831 (1986)] at Sandia National Laboratories. The source configuration consists of two laser pulses impinging on a heated (200 °C) thin-film LiAg layer on the anode surface. A short-pulse Nd:YAG laser creates a high-density vapor, which is then ionized by a long-pulse dye laser using the LIBORS (laser ionization based on resonant saturation) ionization method. Small-scale experiments determined that this dual laser-based approach can produce a source plasma of adequate density and confinement for acceleration and transport. Hardware modifications were undertaken to correct problems of premature impedance collapse and lack of beam lithium seen on previous PBFA-II experiments. As much as 85 kJ of Li is measured at the beam focus, but the source may not have been operating in a fully active (i.e., preformed) manner. Focusing performance appears superior to a passive LiF ion source operated on PBFA-II with the same magnetic field topology. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: In the concept of the dynamic hohlraum an imploding Z pinch is optically thick to its own radiation. Radiation may be trapped inside the pinch to give a radiation temperature inside the pinch greater than that outside the pinch. The radiation is typically produced by colliding an outer Z-pinch liner onto an inner liner. The collision generates a strongly radiating shock, and the radiation is trapped by the outer liner. As the implosion continues after the collision, the radiation temperature may continue to increase due to ongoing PdV (pressure times change in volume) work done by the implosion. In principal, the radiation temperature may increase to the point at which the outer liner burns through, becomes optically thin, and no longer traps the radiation. One application of the dynamic hohlraum is to drive an ICF (inertial confinement fusion) pellet with the trapped radiation field. Members of the dynamic hohlraum team at Sandia National Labs have used the pulsed power driver Z (20 MA, 100 ns) to create a dynamic hohlraum with temperature linearly ramping from 100 to 180 eV over 5 ns. On this shot zp214 a nested tungsten wire array of 4 and 2 cm diam with masses of 2 and 1 mg imploded onto a 2.5 mg plastic annulus at 5 mm diam. The current return can on this shot was slotted. It is likely the radiation temperature may be increased to over 200 eV by stabilizing the pinch with a solid current return can. A current return can with nine slots imprints nine filaments onto the imploding pinch. This degrades the optical trapping and the quality of the liner collision. A 1.6 mm diam capsule situated inside this dynamic hohlraum of zp214 would see 15 kJ of radiation impinging on its surface before the pinch itself collapses to a 1.6 mm diam. Dynamic hohlraum shots including pellets were scheduled to take place on Z in September of 1998. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: An important experiment investigating halo formation is in progress at Laboratoire National Saturne (LNS). Its purpose is to detect and measure the halo developed by an intense proton beam in a long magnetic quadrupole FODO channel (58 quadrupoles). Two different arrangements of apparatus built to measure the emittance and the brightness of the beam entering the FODO channel are described. The first one, the LNS method, is made up of a sampling hole and a multiwire profile monitor whereas the second one, the Service Physique et Techniques Nucleaires method, is made up of a scintillating screen and a high performance charge-coupled device camera. Results and analysis of the measurements are presented. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The 100 ns, 20 MA pinch-driver Z is surrounded by an extensive set of diagnostics. There are nine radial lines of sight set at 12° above horizontal and each of these may be equipped with up to five diagnostic ports. Instruments routinely fielded viewing the pinch from the side with these ports include x-ray diode arrays, photoconducting detector arrays, bolometers, transmission grating spectrometers, time-resolved x-ray pinhole cameras, x-ray crystal spectrometers, calorimeters, silicon photodiodes, and neutron detectors. A diagnostic package fielded on axis for viewing internal pinch radiation consists of nine lines of sight. This package accommodates virtually the same diagnostics as the radial ports. Other diagnostics not fielded on the axial or radial ports include current B-dot monitors, filtered x-ray scintillators coupled by fiber optics to streak cameras, streaked visible spectroscopy, velocity interferometric system for any reflector, bremsstrahlung cameras, and active shock breakout measurement of hohlraum temperature. The data acquisition system is capable of recording up to 500 channels and the data from each shot is available on the Internet. A major new diagnostic presently under construction is the BEAMLET backlighter. We will briefly describe each of these diagnostics and present some of the highest-quality data from them. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: X-ray powers on the order of 10 TW over an area of 4.5 mm2 are produced in the axial direction from the compression of a low-density foam target centered within a z-pinch on the Z generator.1 The x rays from this source are used for high-energy–density physics experiments, including the heating of hohlraums for inertial confinements fusion studies.2 In this article, detailed characteristics of this radiation source measured using an upgraded axial-radiation-diagnostic suite3 together with other on- and off-axis diagnostics are summarized and discussed in terms of Eulerian and Lagrangian radiation–magnetohydrodynamic code simulations. The source, characterized here, employs a nested array of 10-mm-long tungsten wires, at radii of 20 and 10 mm, having a total masses of 2 and 1 mg, and wire numbers of 240 and 120, respectively. The target is a 14 mg/cc CH2 foam cylinder of 5 mm diameter. The codes take into account the development of the Rayleigh–Taylor instability in the r–z plane, and provide integrated calculations of the implosion together with the x-ray generation. The radiation exiting the imploding target through the 4.5 mm2 aperture is measured primarily by the axial diagnostic suite that now includes diagnostics at an angle of ∼30° to the z axis. The near on-axis diagnostics include: (1) a seven-element filtered silicon-diode array,4 (2) a five-element filtered x-ray diffraction (XRD) array,5 (3) a six-element filtered PCD array,6 (4) a three-element bolometer,7 (5) time-resolved and time-integrating crystal spectrometers, and (6) two fast-framing x-ray pinhole cameras having 11 frames each. The filtered silicon diodes, XRDs, and PCDs are sensitive to 1–200, 140–2300, and 1000–4000 eV x rays, respectively. They (1) establish the magnitude of the prepluse generated during the run in of the imploding wire arrays, (2) measure the Planckian nature of the dominant thermal, and (3) nonthermal component of the emission. The bolometers and XRDs mounted on the near-normal and 30° LOS (line-of-sight) measure the total power and check the Lambertian nature of the emission. Additionally, a suite of filtered fast-framing x-ray pinhole cameras and silicon-diode arrays behind a transmission grating, mounted on LOSs nearly normal to the z axis, quantify the plasma plume exiting the aperture. The hard bremsstrahlung generated is estimated with both on- and off-axis shielded scintillator photomultiplier diagnostics. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: In the light-ion-beam fusion program at Sandia National Laboratories an intense lithium beam is being developed to drive inertial confinement fusion targets. Since beam purity is an important issue, direct nuclear activation diagnostics based on the thick target yields of the reactions 7Li(p,n) 7Be, 10B(p,α) 7Be, 19F(7Li,d) 24Na, and 11B(19F,2p) 28Mg have been developed to measure the proton, lithium, and fluorine content of the beam. The specific target materials chosen for this work are LiF and BN. To calibrate these diagnostics, a Van de Graaff accelerator was used to measure the thick target yields as a function of ion energy for each of the ion and target material combinations. Each target material was also irradiated by carbon ions to assess the importance of any possible competing reactions. The results of these calibration studies are presented. © 1997 American Institute of Physics.