Neutron time of flight (nToF) detectors for inertial fusion experiments.

Neutrons generated in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) experiments provide valuable information to interpret the conditions reached in the plasma. The neutron time-of-flight (nToF) technique is well suited for measuring the neutron energy spectrum due to the short time (100 ps) over which neutrons are typically emitted in ICF experiments. By locating detectors 10s of meters from the source, the neutron energy spectrum can be measured to high precision. We present a contextual review of the current state of the art in nToF detectors at ICF facilities in the United States, outlining the physics that can be measured, the detector technologies currently deployed and analysis techniques used.

Alpha heating of indirect-drive layered implosions on the National Ignition Facility.

In order to understand how close current layered implosions in indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion are to ignition, it is necessary to measure the level of alpha heating present. To this end, pairs of experiments were performed that consisted of a low-yield tritium-hydrogen-deuterium (THD) layered implosion and a high-yield deuterium-tritium (DT) layered implosion to validate experimentally current simulation-based methods of determining yield amplification. The THD capsules were designed to reduce simultaneously DT neutron yield (alpha heating) and maintain hydrodynamic similarity with the higher yield DT capsules. The ratio of the yields measured in these experiments then allowed the alpha heating level of the DT layered implosions to be determined. The level of alpha heating inferred is consistent with fits to simulations expressed in terms of experimentally measurable quantities and enables us to infer the level of alpha heating in recent high-performing implosions.

Observation of Hydrodynamic Flows in Imploding Fusion Plasmas on the National Ignition Facility.

Inertial confinement fusion implosions designed to have minimal fluid motion at peak compression often show significant linear flows in the laboratory, attributable per simulations to percent-level imbalances in the laser drive illumination symmetry. We present experimental results which intentionally varied the mode 1 drive imbalance by up to 4% to test hydrodynamic predictions of flows and the resultant imploded core asymmetries and performance, as measured by a combination of DT neutron spectroscopy and high-resolution x-ray core imaging. Neutron yields decrease by up to 50%, and anisotropic neutron Doppler broadening increases by 20%, in agreement with simulations. Furthermore, a tracer jet from the capsule fill-tube perturbation that is entrained by the hot-spot flow confirms the average flow speeds deduced from neutron spectroscopy.

Optimal choice of multiple line-of-sight measurements determining plasma hotspot velocity at the National Ignition Facility.

The measurement of plasma hotspot velocity provides an important diagnostic of implosion performance for inertial confinement fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility. The shift of the fusion product neutron mean kinetic energy as measured along multiple line-of-sight time-of-flight spectrometers provides velocity vector components from which the hotspot velocity is inferred. Multiple measurements improve the hotspot velocity inference; however, practical considerations of available space, operational overhead, and instrumentation costs limit the number of possible line-of-sight measurements. We propose a solution to this classical "experiment design" problem that optimizes the precision of the velocity inference for a limited number of measurements.

Hotspot parameter scaling with velocity and yield for high-adiabat layered implosions at the National Ignition Facility.

This paper presents a study on hotspot parameters in indirect-drive, inertially confined fusion implosions as they proceed through the self-heating regime. The implosions with increasing nuclear yield reach the burning-plasma regime, hotspot ignition, and finally propagating burn and ignition. These implosions span a wide range of alpha heating from a yield amplification of 1.7-2.5. We show that the hotspot parameters are explicitly dependent on both yield and velocity and that by fitting to both of these quantities the hotspot parameters can be fit with a single power law in velocity. The yield scaling also enables the hotspot parameters extrapolation to higher yields. This is important as various degradation mechanisms can occur on a given implosion at fixed implosion velocity which can have a large impact on both yield and the hotspot parameters. The yield scaling also enables the experimental dependence of the hotspot parameters on yield amplification to be determined. The implosions reported have resulted in the highest yield (1.73×10^{16}±2.6%), yield amplification, pressure, and implosion velocity yet reported at the National Ignition Facility.

Azimuthal Drive Asymmetry in Inertial Confinement Fusion Implosions on the National Ignition Facility.

Data from nuclear diagnostics present correlated signatures of azimuthal implosion asymmetry in recent indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosion campaigns performed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The mean hot-spot velocity, inferred from the Doppler shift of 14 MeV neutrons produced by deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion, is systematically directed toward one azimuthal half of the NIF target chamber, centered on ϕ≈70°. Areal density (ρR) asymmetry of the converged DT fuel, inferred from nuclear activation diagnostics, presents a minimum ρR in the same direction as the hot-spot velocity and with ΔρR amplitude correlated with velocity magnitude. These two correlated observations, which are seen in all recent campaigns with cryogenic layers of DT fuel, are a known signature of asymmetry in the fuel convergence, implying a systematic azimuthal drive asymmetry across a wide range of shot and target configurations. The direction of the implied radiation asymmetry is observed to cluster toward the hohlraum diagnostic windows. This low-mode asymmetry degrades hot-spot conditions at peak convergence and limits implosion performance and yield.

Neutron Time-of-Flight Measurements of Charged-Particle Energy Loss in Inertial Confinement Fusion Plasmas.

Neutron spectra from secondary ^{3}H(d,n)α reactions produced by an implosion of a deuterium-gas capsule at the National Ignition Facility have been measured with order-of-magnitude improvements in statistics and resolution over past experiments. These new data and their sensitivity to the energy loss of fast tritons emitted from thermal ^{2}H(d,p)^{3}H reactions enable the first statistically significant investigation of charged-particle stopping via the emitted neutron spectrum. Radiation-hydrodynamic simulations, constrained to match a number of observables from the implosion, were used to predict the neutron spectra while employing two different energy loss models. This analysis represents the first test of stopping models under inertial confinement fusion conditions, covering plasma temperatures of k_{B}T≈1-4 keV and particle densities of n≈(12-2)×10^{24} cm^{-3}. Under these conditions, we find significant deviations of our data from a theory employing classical collisions whereas the theory including quantum diffraction agrees with our data.

Using multiple neutron time of flight detectors to determine the hot spot velocity.

An important diagnostic value of a shot at the National Ignition Facility is the resultant center-of-mass motion of the imploding capsule. This residual velocity reduces the efficiency of converting laser energy into plasma temperature. A new analysis method extracts the effective hot spot motion by using information from multiple neutron time-of-flight (nToF) lines-of-sight (LoSs). This technique fits a near Gaussian spectrum to the nToF scope traces and overcomes reliance on models to relate the plasma temperature to the mean energy of the emitted neutrons. This method requires having at least four nToF LoSs. The results of this analysis will be compared to an approach where each LoS is analyzed separately and a model is used to infer the mean energy of the emitted neutrons.

Ab initio response functions for Cherenkov-based neutron detectors.

Neutron time-of-flight diagnostics at the NIF were recently outfitted with Cherenkov detectors. A fused silica radiator delivers sub-nanosecond response time and is optically coupled to a microchannel plate photomultiplier tube with gain from ∼1 to 104. Capitalizing on fast time response and gamma-ray sensitivity, these systems can provide better than 30 ps precision for measuring first moments of neutron distributions. Generation of ab initio instrument response functions (IRFs) is critical to meet the <1% uncertainty needed. A combination of Monte Carlo modeling, benchtop characterization, and in situ comparison is employed. Close agreement is shown between the modeled IRFs and in situ measurements using the NIF's short-pulse advanced radiographic capability beams. First and second moments of neutron spectra calculated using ab initio IRFs agree well with established scintillator measurements. Next-step designs offer increased sensitivity and time-response.

A fused silica Cherenkov radiator for high precision time-of-flight measurement of DT γ and neutron spectra (invited).

A fused silica Cherenkov radiator has been implemented at the National Ignition Facility to provide a new high precision measurement of the time-of-flight spectrum of 14.1 MeV DT fusion neutrons. This detector enables a high precision (<30 ps) co-registered measurement of both a thresholded γ-ray and a neutron spectrum on a single record. Other methods typically require γ and neutron signals to be co-registered via other diagnostics and/or dedicated timing experiments. Analysis of the co-registered γ and neutron signals allows precise extraction of the mean neutron energy and bulk hot-spot velocity, both of which were not possible with prior scintillator technologies. Initial measurements demonstrate the feasibility of this measurement and indicate that combined detection of neutrons and γ-rays on multiple lines-of-sight should enable the bulk vector velocity of the implosion hot-spot to be determined to ≈5 km/s and reduced uncertainty in the spectral width ≈0.1 keV.

Velocity correction for neutron activation diagnostics at the NIF.

The velocity distribution of the hotspot in an inertial confinement fusion implosion changes the energy spectra of fusion neutrons emitted from the experiment as a function of viewing angle. These velocity-induced spectral changes affect the response of neutron activation diagnostics (NADs) positioned around the experiment and must be accounted for to correctly extract information about areal density (ρR) asymmetry from the data. Three mechanisms through which average hotspot velocity affects NAD activation are addressed: change in activation cross section due to the Doppler shift of the mean neutron energy, kinematic focusing of neutron fluence, and change in the scattering cross section due to the Doppler shift. Using the hotspot velocity inferred from neutron time-of-flight measurements of D-T and D-D fusion neutrons, the hotspot velocity is shown to account for the observed NAD activation asymmetry in a calibration shot with negligible fuel ρR. A robust method to evaluate uncertainties in spherical-harmonic fits to the NAD data due to the velocity correction and detector uncertainty is discussed.

Testing a Cherenkov neutron time-of-flight detector on OMEGA.

A Cherenkov neutron time-of-flight (nTOF) detector developed and constructed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was tested at 13 m from the target in a collimated line of sight (LOS) and at 5.3 m from the target in the open space inside the OMEGA Target Bay. Neutrons interacting with the quartz rod generate gammas, which through Compton scattering produce relativistic electrons that give rise to Cherenkov light. A photomultiplier tube (PMT) transferred the Cherenkov light into an amplified electrical signal. The Cherenkov nTOF detector consists of an 8-mm-diam, 25-cm quartz hexagonal prism coupled with a Hamamatsu gated PMT R5916U-52. The tests were performed with DT direct-drive implosions with cryogenic and room-temperature targets, producing a wide range of neutron yields and ion temperatures. The results of the tests and comparison with other nTOF detectors on OMEGA are presented. In the collimated LOS at 13 m from the target, the Cherenkov nTOF detector demonstrated good precision measurement in both the yield and ion temperature for DT yields above 3 × 1013.

Characterization of photodetector temporal response for neutron time-of-flight (nToF) diagnostics at the National Ignition Facility.

The temporal response of a microchannel plate photomultiplier tube used in the suite of neutron time of flight (nToF) diagnostics at the National Ignition Facility has been characterized to reduce uncertainty in, and understanding of, shot parameters obtained from nTOF data. A short pulse laser, neutral density glass filters, and electrical attenuators were used to gather statistically significant samples of photodetector impulse response functions (IRF) in rapid succession. Individual components have been absolutely calibrated to minimize systematic uncertainties. The zeroth (collected charge), first (transit time), and second central moments (transit time spread) of the IRF were calculated as either the bias voltage or the amount of light incident on the detector was varied. Timing reference was provided by a monitor photodiode viewing a pickoff of the incident laser pulse. The primary sources of uncertainty are jitter in the monitor photodiode and the statistical variation across our measurement period. The spreads in the first moment, with respect to the timing photodiode, and the square root of the second central moment were found to be less than 50 ps and 150 ps, respectively.

Uncertainty analysis of response functions and γ -backgrounds on Tion and t0 measurements from Cherenkov neutron detectors at the National Ignition Facility (NIF).

Cherenkov radiators deployed to measure the neutron time-of-flight spectrum have response times associated with the neutron transit across the detector and are free from long time response tails characteristic of scintillation detectors. The Cherenkov radiation results from simple physical processes which makes them amenable to high fidelity Monte Carlo simulation. The instrument response function of neutron time-of-flight systems is a major contributor to both the systematic and statistical uncertainties of the parameters used to describe these spectra; in particular, the first and second moments of these distributions are associated with arrival time, t0, and ion temperature, Tion. We present the results of uncertainty analysis showing the significant reduction of the uncertainty in determining these quantities in the Cherenkov detector system recently deployed at NIF. The increased sensitivity to gamma radiation requires additional consideration of the effect of this background to the uncertainties in both t0 and Tion.

High-Performance Indirect-Drive Cryogenic Implosions at High Adiabat on the National Ignition Facility.

To reach the pressures and densities required for ignition, it may be necessary to develop an approach to design that makes it easier for simulations to guide experiments. Here, we report on a new short-pulse inertial confinement fusion platform that is specifically designed to be more predictable. The platform has demonstrated 99%+0.5% laser coupling into the hohlraum, high implosion velocity (411 km/s), high hotspot pressure (220+60 Gbar), and high cold fuel areal density compression ratio (>400), while maintaining controlled implosion symmetry, providing a promising new physics platform to study ignition physics.

Thermal Temperature Measurements of Inertial Fusion Implosions.

Accurate measurement of the thermal temperature in inertially confined fusion plasmas is essential for characterizing ignition performance and validating the basic physics understanding of the stagnation conditions. We present experimental results from cryogenic deuterium-tritium implosions on the National Ignition Facility using a differential filter spectrometer designed to measure the thermal electron temperature from x-ray continuum emission from the stagnated plasma. Furthermore, electron temperature measurements, used in conjunction with the Doppler-broadened DT neutron spectra, allow one to infer the partition of energy in the hot spot between internal energy and unconverted kinetic energy.

Experimental Evidence of a Variant Neutron Spectrum from the T(t,2n)α Reaction at Center-of-Mass Energies in the Range of 16-50 keV.

Full calculations of six-nucleon reactions with a three-body final state have been elusive and a long-standing issue. We present neutron spectra from the T(t,2n)α (TT) reaction measured in inertial confinement fusion experiments at the OMEGA laser facility at ion temperatures from 4 to 18 keV, corresponding to center-of-mass energies (E_{c.m.}) from 16 to 50 keV. A clear difference in the shape of the TT-neutron spectrum is observed between the two E_{c.m.}, with the ^{5}He ground state resonant peak at 8.6 MeV being significantly stronger at the higher than at the lower energy. The data provide the first conclusive evidence of a variant TT-neutron spectrum in this E_{c.m.} range. In contrast to earlier available data, this indicates a reaction mechanism that must involve resonances and/or higher angular momenta than L=0. This finding provides an important experimental constraint on theoretical efforts that explore this and complementary six-nucleon systems, such as the solar ^{3}He(^{3}He,2p)α reaction.

Fusion Energy Output Greater than the Kinetic Energy of an Imploding Shell at the National Ignition Facility.

A series of cryogenic, layered deuterium-tritium (DT) implosions have produced, for the first time, fusion energy output twice the peak kinetic energy of the imploding shell. These experiments at the National Ignition Facility utilized high density carbon ablators with a three-shock laser pulse (1.5 MJ in 7.5 ns) to irradiate low gas-filled (0.3 mg/cc of helium) bare depleted uranium hohlraums, resulting in a peak hohlraum radiative temperature ∼290 eV. The imploding shell, composed of the nonablated high density carbon and the DT cryogenic layer, is, thus, driven to velocity on the order of 380 km/s resulting in a peak kinetic energy of ∼21 kJ, which once stagnated produced a total DT neutron yield of 1.9×10^{16} (shot N170827) corresponding to an output fusion energy of 54 kJ. Time dependent low mode asymmetries that limited further progress of implosions have now been controlled, leading to an increased compression of the hot spot. It resulted in hot spot areal density (ρr∼0.3 g/cm^{2}) and stagnation pressure (∼360 Gbar) never before achieved in a laboratory experiment.

Transition from Collisional to Collisionless Regimes in Interpenetrating Plasma Flows on the National Ignition Facility.

A study of the transition from collisional to collisionless plasma flows has been carried out at the National Ignition Facility using high Mach number (M>4) counterstreaming plasmas. In these experiments, CD-CD and CD-CH planar foils separated by 6-10 mm are irradiated with laser energies of 250 kJ per foil, generating ∼1000 km/s plasma flows. Varying the foil separation distance scales the ion density and average bulk velocity and, therefore, the ion-ion Coulomb mean free path, at the interaction region at the midplane. The characteristics of the flow interaction have been inferred from the neutrons and protons generated by deuteron-deuteron interactions and by x-ray emission from the hot, interpenetrating, and interacting plasmas. A localized burst of neutrons and bright x-ray emission near the midpoint of the counterstreaming flows was observed, suggesting strong heating and the initial stages of shock formation. As the separation of the CD-CH foils increases we observe enhanced neutron production compared to particle-in-cell simulations that include Coulomb collisions, but do not include collective collisionless plasma instabilities. The observed plasma heating and enhanced neutron production is consistent with the initial stages of collisionless shock formation, mediated by the Weibel filamentation instability.

Uncertainty analysis of signal deconvolution using a measured instrument response function.

A common analysis procedure minimizes the ln-likelihood that a set of experimental observables matches a parameterized model of the observation. The model includes a description of the underlying physical process as well as the instrument response function (IRF). In the case investigated here, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) neutron time-of-flight (nTOF) spectrometers, the IRF is constructed from measurements and models. IRF measurements have a finite precision that can make significant contributions to determine the uncertainty estimate of the physical model's parameters. We apply a Bayesian analysis to properly account for IRF uncertainties in calculating the ln-likelihood function used to find the optimum physical parameters.