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We report on the development and characterization of a laser-based neutron source driven by ultra-short laser pulses interacting with thin deuterated targets. Two experimental configurations were implemented: one operating 1 Hz using a rotating thin-film deuterated polyethylene (dPE) wheel target, and another 10 Hz using advanced target systems, including a sub-micrometer thick heavy water (D \(_2\) O) liquid jet. The driving laser pulses were focused to peak intensities in excess of \(10^{18}\) W/cm \(^2\) , accelerating the deuterium ions to energies up to \(\sim \) 1.4 MeV. These ions subsequently initiated \(^2\) H(d,n) \(^3\) He fusion reactions in secondary dPE catcher targets, producing fast neutrons with mean energies around 3 MeV. Experiments performed 1 Hz resulted in an average of \(1142 \pm 59\)  neutrons per shot, with angular distributions showing pronounced emission along the ion beam axis, confirmed by simulations. To further enhance the yield, we explored the influence of the laser pulse’s spectral phase on the ion acceleration. The highest yield so far was demonstrated with an optimized spectral phase, achieving a neutron yield of \(1.8 \times 10^5\)  neutrons/s, which corresponds to a record high conversion efficiency of \(7.8 \times 10^5\)  neutrons/J for sub-100 fs lasers. This performance was operational for several hours 10 Hz repetition rate, with a shot-to-shot neutron yield stability of 5%. These results mark a significant step toward compact, high-repetition-rate neutron sources for applications in nuclear diagnostics, materials science, and medicine.

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Ion Acceleration and Neutron Generation at High Repetition Rate

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Karoly Osvay,
  • Parvin Varmazyar,
  • Tibor Gilinger,
  • Péter Gaál,
  • Máté Karnok,
  • Attila P. Kovacs,
  • Zoltán Jäger,
  • Arif Ibrahim,
  • Javaria Razzaq,
  • Árpád Mohácsi,
  • Előd Buzás,
  • Barna Biró,
  • Zoltan Elekes,
  • András Fenyvesi,
  • Zoltan Halász,
  • Laszlo Stuhl

摘要

We report on the development and characterization of a laser-based neutron source driven by ultra-short laser pulses interacting with thin deuterated targets. Two experimental configurations were implemented: one operating 1 Hz using a rotating thin-film deuterated polyethylene (dPE) wheel target, and another 10 Hz using advanced target systems, including a sub-micrometer thick heavy water (D \(_2\) O) liquid jet. The driving laser pulses were focused to peak intensities in excess of \(10^{18}\) W/cm \(^2\) , accelerating the deuterium ions to energies up to \(\sim \) 1.4 MeV. These ions subsequently initiated \(^2\) H(d,n) \(^3\) He fusion reactions in secondary dPE catcher targets, producing fast neutrons with mean energies around 3 MeV. Experiments performed 1 Hz resulted in an average of \(1142 \pm 59\)  neutrons per shot, with angular distributions showing pronounced emission along the ion beam axis, confirmed by simulations. To further enhance the yield, we explored the influence of the laser pulse’s spectral phase on the ion acceleration. The highest yield so far was demonstrated with an optimized spectral phase, achieving a neutron yield of \(1.8 \times 10^5\)  neutrons/s, which corresponds to a record high conversion efficiency of \(7.8 \times 10^5\)  neutrons/J for sub-100 fs lasers. This performance was operational for several hours 10 Hz repetition rate, with a shot-to-shot neutron yield stability of 5%. These results mark a significant step toward compact, high-repetition-rate neutron sources for applications in nuclear diagnostics, materials science, and medicine.