National Ignition Facility neutron time-of-flight measurements (invited).

The first 3 of 18 neutron time-of-flight (nTOF) channels have been installed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The role of these detectors includes yield, temperature, and bang time measurements. This article focuses on nTOF data analysis and quality of results obtained for the first set of experiments to use all 192 NIF beams. Targets produced up to 2×10(10) 2.45 MeV neutrons for initial testing of the nTOF detectors. Differences in neutron scattering at the OMEGA laser facility where the detectors were calibrated and at NIF result in different response functions at the two facilities. Monte Carlo modeling shows this difference. The nTOF performance on these early experiments indicates that the nTOF system with its full complement of detectors should perform well in future measurements of yield, temperature, and bang time.

The National Ignition Facility neutron time-of-flight system and its initial performance (invited).

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) successfully completed its first inertial confinement fusion (ICF) campaign in 2009. A neutron time-of-flight (nTOF) system was part of the nuclear diagnostics used in this campaign. The nTOF technique has been used for decades on ICF facilities to infer the ion temperature of hot deuterium (D(2)) and deuterium-tritium (DT) plasmas based on the temporal Doppler broadening of the primary neutron peak. Once calibrated for absolute neutron sensitivity, the nTOF detectors can be used to measure the yield with high accuracy. The NIF nTOF system is designed to measure neutron yield and ion temperature over 11 orders of magnitude (from 10(8) to 10(19)), neutron bang time in DT implosions between 10(12) and 10(16), and to infer areal density for DT yields above 10(12). During the 2009 campaign, the three most sensitive neutron time-of-flight detectors were installed and used to measure the primary neutron yield and ion temperature from 25 high-convergence implosions using D(2) fuel. The OMEGA yield calibration of these detectors was successfully transferred to the NIF.

Comparison of dose calculated by an intensity modulated radiotherapy treatment planning system and an independent monitor unit verification program.

A comparison of isocenter dose calculated by a commercial intensity modulated radiation therapy treatment planning system and independent monitor unit verification calculation (MUVC) software was made. The percent disparity between the treatment plan and MUVC doses were calculated for 507 treatments (head and neck, prostate, abdomen, female pelvis, rectum and anus, and miscellaneous) from 303 patients. The MUVC calculated dose was, on average, 1.4% higher than the treatment planning dose, with a 1.2% standard deviation. The distribution of the disparities appeared to be Gaussian in shape with some variation by treatment site. Based on our analysis, disparities outside the range of +/-3% about the mean value should be checked and resolved prior to treatment delivery.