Efficient initiation of photonuclear reactions using quasimonoenergetic electron beams from laser wakefield acceleration

S. A. Reed; V. Chvykov; G. Kalintchenko; T. Matsuoka; V. Yanovsky; C. R. Vane; J. R. Beene; D. Stracener; D. R. Schultz; A. Maksimchuk

doi:10.1063/1.2787159

Efficient initiation of photonuclear reactions using quasimonoenergetic electron beams from laser wakefield acceleration

S. A. Reed
, V. Chvykov
, G. Kalintchenko
, T. Matsuoka
, V. Yanovsky
, C. R. Vane
, J. R. Beene
, D. Stracener
, D. R. Schultz
, A. Maksimchuk

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Pulses of nearly monoenergetic relativistic electrons have been generated by laser wakefield acceleration and used to perform photonuclear activation of carbon, copper, and photofission in uranium. Using bremsstrahlung converter targets, the electron beams generated by this technique have been shown to be effective in producing high energy γ -rays (tens of MeV) that are necessary to efficiently induce photonuclear reactions. Quantitative γ -ray spectroscopy of the irradiated C, Cu, and U samples indicates that more than 105 reactions were produced per joule of laser energy. The activation yield measurements have been compared with Monte Carlo modeling of electromagnetic cascade and photonuclear processes occurring in the targets to infer the characteristics of the laser accelerated electron beams.

Original language	English
Article number	073103
Journal	Journal of Applied Physics
Volume	102
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2787159
State	Published - 2007

Funding

This research has been supported by the NSF through the Physics Frontier Center FOCUS (NSF Award No. 0114336), and has also been partially sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725.

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title = "Efficient initiation of photonuclear reactions using quasimonoenergetic electron beams from laser wakefield acceleration",

abstract = "Pulses of nearly monoenergetic relativistic electrons have been generated by laser wakefield acceleration and used to perform photonuclear activation of carbon, copper, and photofission in uranium. Using bremsstrahlung converter targets, the electron beams generated by this technique have been shown to be effective in producing high energy γ -rays (tens of MeV) that are necessary to efficiently induce photonuclear reactions. Quantitative γ -ray spectroscopy of the irradiated C, Cu, and U samples indicates that more than 105 reactions were produced per joule of laser energy. The activation yield measurements have been compared with Monte Carlo modeling of electromagnetic cascade and photonuclear processes occurring in the targets to infer the characteristics of the laser accelerated electron beams.",

author = "Reed, \{S. A.\} and V. Chvykov and G. Kalintchenko and T. Matsuoka and V. Yanovsky and Vane, \{C. R.\} and Beene, \{J. R.\} and D. Stracener and Schultz, \{D. R.\} and A. Maksimchuk",

year = "2007",

doi = "10.1063/1.2787159",

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journal = "Journal of Applied Physics",

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T1 - Efficient initiation of photonuclear reactions using quasimonoenergetic electron beams from laser wakefield acceleration

AU - Reed, S. A.

AU - Chvykov, V.

AU - Kalintchenko, G.

AU - Matsuoka, T.

AU - Yanovsky, V.

AU - Vane, C. R.

AU - Beene, J. R.

AU - Stracener, D.

AU - Schultz, D. R.

AU - Maksimchuk, A.

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

N2 - Pulses of nearly monoenergetic relativistic electrons have been generated by laser wakefield acceleration and used to perform photonuclear activation of carbon, copper, and photofission in uranium. Using bremsstrahlung converter targets, the electron beams generated by this technique have been shown to be effective in producing high energy γ -rays (tens of MeV) that are necessary to efficiently induce photonuclear reactions. Quantitative γ -ray spectroscopy of the irradiated C, Cu, and U samples indicates that more than 105 reactions were produced per joule of laser energy. The activation yield measurements have been compared with Monte Carlo modeling of electromagnetic cascade and photonuclear processes occurring in the targets to infer the characteristics of the laser accelerated electron beams.

AB - Pulses of nearly monoenergetic relativistic electrons have been generated by laser wakefield acceleration and used to perform photonuclear activation of carbon, copper, and photofission in uranium. Using bremsstrahlung converter targets, the electron beams generated by this technique have been shown to be effective in producing high energy γ -rays (tens of MeV) that are necessary to efficiently induce photonuclear reactions. Quantitative γ -ray spectroscopy of the irradiated C, Cu, and U samples indicates that more than 105 reactions were produced per joule of laser energy. The activation yield measurements have been compared with Monte Carlo modeling of electromagnetic cascade and photonuclear processes occurring in the targets to infer the characteristics of the laser accelerated electron beams.

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DO - 10.1063/1.2787159

M3 - Article

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SN - 0021-8979

VL - 102

JO - Journal of Applied Physics

JF - Journal of Applied Physics

IS - 7

M1 - 073103

ER -

Efficient initiation of photonuclear reactions using quasimonoenergetic electron beams from laser wakefield acceleration

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