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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,045 records · Page 58
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Preplasma effects on the generation of high-energy protons in ultraintense laser interaction with foil targets

It is shown that the intense quasistatic electric and magnetic fields self-generated near the axis of the laser-driven channel in an appropriately profiled preplasma during ultraintense laser interaction with a thin target can create dense relativistic electron bunches. The latter easily penetrate through the target and can greatly enhance the sheath field at the rear, resulting in significant increase in the laser-to-ion energy conversion efficiency and the maximum energy of the target normal sheath accelerated ions. Particle-in-cell simulations show that with a hydrogen targets a proton beam of peak energy ∼38 MeV and energy conversion efficiency ≥6.5% can be produced by a linearly polarized 5 × 10{sup 19} W/cm{sup 2} laser. An analytical model is also proposed and its results agree well with those of the simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thin-thick hydrogen target for nuclear physics

In spectroscopic studies of unstable nuclei, hydrogen targets are of key importance. The CHyMENE Project aims to provide to the nuclear physics community a thin and pure solid windowless hydrogen or deuterium target. CHyMENE project must respond to this request for the production of solid Hydrogen. The solid hydrogen target is produced in a continuous flow (1 cm/s) by an extrusion technique (developed with the PELIN laboratory) in a vacuum chamber. The shape of the target is determined by the design of the nozzle at the extrusion process. For the purpose, the choice is a rectangular shape with a width of 10 mm and a thickness in the range of 30-50 microns necessary for the physics objectives. The cryostat is equipped with a GM Cryocooler with sufficient power for the solidification of the hydrogen in the lower portion of the extruder. In the higher part of the cryostat, the hydrogen gas is first liquefied and partially solidified. It is then compressed at 100 bars in the cooled extruder before expulsion of the film through the nozzle at the center of the reaction vacuum chamber. After the previous step, the solid hydrogen ribbon falls by gravity into a dedicated chamber where it sublimes and the gas is pumped and evacuated in a exhaust line. This paper deals with the design of the cryostat with its equipment, with the sizing of the thermal bridge (Aluminum and copper), with the results regarding the contact resistance as well as with the vacuum computations of the reaction and recovery hydrogen gas chambers.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Enhanced x-ray emissions from Au-Gd mixture targets ablated by a high-power nanosecond laser

As an important x-ray source, enhancement of x-ray emissions from laser-produced plasmas is imperative for various applications. High-Z Au-Gd mixture targets are proposed to enhance the laser to x-ray conversion efficiency compared to pure Au target. In the experiments, a 1 ns frequency-tripled (351 nm wavelength) laser light was used to obtain an intensity of 3×10{sup 14} W/cm{sup 2} on the targets. The x-ray spectra, total absolute x-ray emissions of all space, M-band fraction and backscattering from pure Au and Au-Gd mixture have been measured, respectively. It is shown that the absolute laser to x-ray conversion efficiency for the Au-Gd mixture containing 60% gold by atom is 47.7%, which has a 15% enhancement compared with that of the pure Au target. The experimental results are consistent with the radiation hydrodynamic simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

The analytic model of a laser-accelerated plasma target and its stability

A self-consistent kinetic theory of a laser-accelerated plasma target with distributed electron/ion densities is developed. The simplified model assumes that after an initial transition period the bulk of cold ions are uniformly accelerated by the self-consistent electric field generated by hot electrons trapped in combined ponderomotive and electrostatic potentials. Several distinct target regions (non-neutral ion tail, non-neutral electron sheath, and neutral plasma bulk) are identified and analytically described. It is shown analytically that such laser-accelerated finite-thickness target is susceptible to Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability. Particle-in-cell simulations of the seeded perturbations of the plasma target reveal that, for ultra-relativistic laser intensities, the growth rate of the RT instability is depressed from the analytic estimates.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

{sup 12}C+{sup 12}C reactions at astrophysical energies: Tests of targets behaviour under beam bombardment

{sup 12}C({sup 12}C,α){sup 20}Ne and {sup 12}C({sup 12}C,p){sup 23}Na are the most important reactions during the carbon burning phase in stars. Direct measurements at the relevant astrophysical energy (E=1.5±0.3MeV) are very challenging because of the extremely small cross sections involved and of the high beam-induced background originating from impurities in the targets. In addition, persistent resonant structures at low energies are not well understood and make the extrapolation of the cross section from high energy data very uncertain. As a preliminary step towards the measurements of the {sup 12}C({sup 12}C,α){sup 20}Ne and {sup 12}C({sup 12}C,p){sup 23}Na reactions we intend to investigate the behaviour of targets under beam bombardment, specifically the quantitative measurement of hydrogen and deuterium content of highly pure stable carbon targets in relation to target temperature. Experiments are taking place at the CIRCE accelerator in Caserta, Italy and preliminary results are presented here.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Measurement of total ultrasonic power using thermal expansion and change in buoyancy of an absorbing target

The Radiation Force Balance (RFB) technique is well established and most widely used for the measurement of total ultrasonic power radiated by ultrasonic transducer. The technique is used as a primary standard for calibration of ultrasonic transducers with relatively fair uncertainty in the low power (below 1 W) regime. In this technique, uncertainty comparatively increases in the range of few watts wherein the effects such as thermal heating of the target, cavitations, and acoustic streaming dominate. In addition, error in the measurement of ultrasonic power is also caused due to movement of absorber at relatively high radiated force which occurs at high power level. In this article a new technique is proposed which does not measure the balance output during transducer energized state as done in RFB. It utilizes the change in buoyancy of the absorbing target due to local thermal heating. The linear thermal expansion of the target changes the apparent mass in water due to buoyancy change. This forms the basis for the measurement of ultrasonic power particularly in watts range. The proposed method comparatively reduces uncertainty caused by various ultrasonic effects that occur at high power such as overshoot due to momentum of target at higher radiated force. The functionality of the technique has been tested and compared with the existing internationally recommended RFB technique.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Enhanced target normal sheath acceleration based on the laser relativistic self-focusing

The enhanced target normal sheath acceleration of ions in laser target interaction via the laser relativistic self-focusing effect is investigated by theoretical analysis and particle-in-cell simulations. The temperature of the hot electrons in the underdense plasma is greatly increased due to the occurrence of resonant absorption, while the electron-betatron-oscillation frequency is close to its witnessed laser frequency [Pukhov et al., Phys. Plasma 6, 2847 (1999)]. While these hot electrons penetrate through the backside solid target, a stronger sheath electric field at the rear surface of the target is induced, which can accelerate the protons to a higher energy. It is also shown that the optimum length of the underdense plasma is approximately equal to the self-focusing distance.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Neutron measurements from beam-target reactions at the ELISE neutral beam test facility

Measurements of 2.5 MeV neutron emission from beam-target reactions performed at the ELISE neutral beam test facility are presented in this paper. The measurements are used to study the penetration of a deuterium beam in a copper dump, based on the observation of the time evolution of the neutron counting rate from beam-target reactions with a liquid scintillation detector. A calculation based on a local mixing model of deuterium deposition in the target up to a concentration of 20% at saturation is used to evaluate the expected neutron yield for comparison with data. The results are of relevance to understand neutron emission associated to beam penetration in a solid target, with applications to diagnostic systems for the SPIDER and MITICA Neutral Beam Injection prototypes.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Generation of energetic protons in the interaction of Gaussian laser pulses with surface modulated targets

The radiation pressure acceleration of protons in the interaction of Gaussian laser pulses and surface modulated targets is examined by multi-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. It is shown that strong longitudinal quasi-static magnetic field is generated on the modulated surface of the target, which significantly enhances the transverse diffusion of electrons. This is beneficial for suppressing the transverse Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Finally, the surface of the accelerated proton beams becomes smoother than that in the case of the planar target, and a final mono-energetic proton beam is obtained by using the surface modulated target.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Collisionless absorption, hot electron generation, and energy scaling in intense laser-target interaction

Among the various attempts to understand collisionless absorption of intense and superintense ultrashort laser pulses, a whole variety of models and hypotheses has been invented to describe the laser beam target interaction. In terms of basic physics, collisionless absorption is understood now as the interplay of the oscillating laser field with the space charge field produced by it in the plasma. A first approach to this idea is realized in Brunel's model the essence of which consists in the formation of an oscillating charge cloud in the vacuum in front of the target, therefore frequently addressed by the vague term “vacuum heating.” The investigation of statistical ensembles of orbits shows that the absorption process is localized at the ion-vacuum interface and in the skin layer: Single electrons enter into resonance with the laser field thereby undergoing a phase shift which causes orbit crossing and braking of Brunel's laminar flow. This anharmonic resonance acts like an attractor for the electrons and leads to the formation of a Maxwellian tail in the electron energy spectrum. Most remarkable results of our investigations are the Brunel like spectral hot electron distribution at the relativistic threshold, the minimum of absorption at Iλ{sup 2}≅(0.3−1.2)×10{sup 21} Wcm{sup −2}μm{sup 2} in the plasma target with the electron density of n{sub e}λ{sup 2}∼10{sup 23}cm{sup −3}μm{sup 2}, the drastic reduction of the number of hot electrons in this domain and their reappearance in the highly relativistic domain, and strong coupling, beyond expectation, of the fast electron jets with the return current through Cherenkov emission of plasmons. The hot electron energy scaling shows a strong dependence on intensity in the moderately relativistic domain Iλ{sup 2}≅(10{sup 18}−10{sup 20}) Wcm{sup −2}μm{sup 2}, a scaling in vague accordance with current published estimates in the range Iλ{sup 2}≅(0.14−3.5)×10{sup 21} Wcm{sup −2}μm{sup 2}, and again a distinct power increase beyond I=3.5×10{sup 21} Wcm{sup −2}μm{sup 2}. The low energy electrons penetrate normally to the target surface, the energetic electrons propagate in laser beam direction.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Laser-ablated loading of solid target through foams of overcritical density

The main objective of the work is to study the conversion of the laser pulse energy into the energy of the hydrodynamic motion of matter in a solid target following the initial absorption of laser radiation in a layer of porous material. Results of experiments on plane massive aluminum targets, coated with a layer of porous plastic with density greater than the critical density of the plasma created, are presented. Experiments were carried out on the laser installation ABC of the Research Center ENEA-Frascati; the targets were irradiated by a beam of the fundamental harmonic of Nd-laser radiation with an energy of about 50 kJ, intensity of 10{sup 13 }W/cm{sup 2}, and 3 ns duration. The experimental method consisted in measuring the volume of the craters created on the aluminum surface behind various thicknesses and densities of the porous absorber of laser radiation. On the basis of these measurements and of an advanced analytical model, quantitative conclusions are made on how the efficiency of laser energy transfer to the solid part of the target (laser-ablated loading) depends on thickness and density of the porous absorber.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Experimental capabilities of the GARPUN MTW Ti : sapphire – KrF laser facility for investigating the interaction of subpicosecond UV pulses with targets

This paper describes the first experiments carried out on the GARPUN MTW Ti : sapphire – KrF hybrid laser facility and aimed at gaining insight into the interaction of subpicosecond UV pulses with solid and structured low-density carbon nanotube targets at peak intensities of ∼10{sup 16} W cm{sup −2} in a focal spot ∼70 μm in size. Using X-ray absorbers, the plasma electron temperature has been measured to be ∼850 eV. In our experiments, we used an optimal configuration: direct double-pass ultrashort-pulse (USP) amplification in KrF amplifier stages, with multiple laser beam filamentation suppression in a xenon-filled cell. The highest energy on a target was 0.25 J at a USP contrast relative to amplified spontaneous emission of ∼3 × 10{sup 10} for intensities and ∼3 × 10{sup 5} for fluences. Owing to two-photon resonance in the UV spectral region, the use of xenon, with a negative nonlinear refractive index, allowed us to make the cross-sectional fluence distribution more uniform and reduce the beam divergence to 0.14 mrad (at the 10 % intensity level). Reducing the USP duration via negatively chirped pulse amplification and filamentation suppression and reducing the focal spot size on a target by using parabolic short-focus optics are expected to ensure an increase in the intensity incident on the target by one to two orders of magnitude. (interaction of laser radiation with matter. laser plasma)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Design and Fabrication of Opacity Targets for the National Ignition Facility

Accurate models for opacity of partially ionized atoms are important for modeling and understanding stellar interiors and other high-energy-density phenomena such as inertial confinement fusion. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is leading a multilaboratory effort to conduct experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to try to reproduce recent opacity tests at the Sandia National Laboratory Z-facility. Since 2015, the NIF effort has evolved several hohlraum designs that consist of multiple pieces joined together. The target also has three components attached to the main stalk over a long distance with high tolerances that have resulted in several design iterations. The target has made use of rapid prototyped features to attach a capsule and collimator under the hohlraum while avoiding interference with the beams. Here, this paper discusses the evolution of the hohlraum and overall target design and the challenges involved with fabricating and assembling these targets.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Comparison of Shadowgraphy and X-Ray Phase Contrast Methods for Characterizing a DT Ice Layer in an Inertial Confinement Fusion Target

Shadowgraphy and x-ray phase contrast (XPC) imaging are two techniques that are used for characterizing the deuterium-tritium ice layer in Inertial Confinement Fusion targets. Each technique has limitations that affect how accurately they can characterize small crystalline defects and measure the ice-thickness non-uniformities that may be only a few micrometers in height. The concern is that shadowgraphy may be overly sensitive to the shape and depth of defects in the surface and insufficiently sensitive to the shape of longer-wavelength roughness, while x-ray phase contrast may be too insensitive to defects in the ice surface. Multiple ice layers with different thicknesses (40 to 63 μm), thickness uniformities (peak-valley variations that range from <2- to 12 μm), and crystal defects were analyzed using shadowgraphy and x-ray phase contrast techniques. The results from each method agree when the ice layer is uniformly thick and the crystal lacks defects. That agreement worsens as the number of defects in the surface of the ice layer increases and the roughness that is determined from a shadowgram image of the target’s limb is greater than can be justified by the number of defects that are seen in the target’s front and rear surfaces. The XPC technique is considerably less sensitive to surface defects, in part due to the poorer dynamic range and image resolution compared to shadowgraphy. Localized regions of the ice layer that are thicker or thinner than the average thickness of the layer are reported by shadowgraphy to be smaller in height and footprint (by up to 30%) than by XPC. As a result, the two techniques report different ice layer thicknesses that can vary by up to 10%. Shadowgraphy results from two caustics that trace different paths through the target, and, in theory, image the same ice-vapor surface (but reflect from either the vapor or ice side of the interface) did not consistently characterize the size or shape of ice features to be the same magnitude. Here, the XPC technique provides the best assessment of low-mode (l < 7) roughness in the ice layer. Shadowgraphy results using the strongest caustic is best for detecting the presence of grooves in the ice, though not for quantifying the size of them. If multiple grooves are present it is best to discard and reform the ice layer.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Monitoring method for neutron flux for a spallation target in an accelerator driven sub-critical system

Here in this paper, we study a monitoring method for neutron flux for the spallation target used in an accelerator driven sub-critical (ADS) system, where a spallation target located vertically at the centre of a sub-critical core is bombarded vertically by high-energy protons from an accelerator. First, by considering the characteristics in the spatial variation of neutron flux from the spallation target, we propose a multi-point measurement technique, i.e. the spallation neutron flux should be measured at multiple vertical locations. To explain why the flux should be measured at multiple locations, we have studied neutron production from a tungsten target bombarded by a 250 MeV-proton beam with Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulations. The simulation results indicate that the neutron flux at the central location is up to three orders of magnitude higher than the flux at lower locations. Secondly, we have developed an effective technique in order to measure the spallation neutron flux with a fission chamber (FC), by establishing the relation between the fission rate measured by FC and the spallation neutron flux. Since this relation is linear for a FC, a constant calibration factor is used to derive the neutron flux from the measured fission rate. This calibration factor can be extracted from the energy spectra of spallation neutrons. Finally, we have evaluated the proposed calibration method for a FC in the environment of an ADS system. The results indicate that the proposed method functions very well.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Sensitivity of the dynamic-shell target to laser drive nonuniformities

The dynamic-shell concept for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) uses an initially homogeneous target and a carefully shaped laser pulse to form a shell and implode it. The laser pulse consists of a series of pickets that drive shocks into the target. The first few shocks converge inwards and rebound from the center of the target, creating an expanding, low-density plasma. Subsequent shocks are launched into the expanding plasma and eventually coalesce to form a shell, which is then imploded with a traditional ICF laser pulse. This study describes radiation-hydrodynamic simulations that investigate the sensitivity of dynamic-shell targets to imperfections in the laser drive. A one-dimensional (1D) study looks at mistiming and power variations in the pickets and a two-dimensional (2D) study examines irradiation perturbations imposed by the laser-beam geometry. Simulations show that less than ~2% power imbalance or 200 ps timing variation in the pickets is sufficient to keep the yield above 90% of the maximum. Additionally, the 2D simulations show that 72 or more beams are required to keep irradiation nonuniformities low enough to obtain fusion yields close to that of 1D simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

The Effects of Sputtering Target Preparation and Deposition Temperature on ZnTe:Cu Film Properties

A back contact containing a sputtered ZnTe:Cu interface layer can produce high-performing thin-film CdS/CdTe photovoltaic devices. We have found that varying the ZnTe:Cu sputtering target fabrication processes and deposition temperature can affect material properties of the ZnTe:Cu films and the resulting device performance. Two different target 'recipes' with various copper contents were used to study changes in the compositional, structural, optical, and electrical properties of ZnTe:Cu films. Substrate temperature during deposition was also varied to investigate the temperature dependence of the films. It was found that the target recipe, Cu concentration in the target, and deposition temperature affect the composition of the ZnTe:Cu films, which impacts their structural, optical, and electrical properties.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Universal Human Papillomavirus Typing Assay: Whole-Genome Sequencing following Target Enrichment

We designed a universal human papillomavirus (HPV) typing assay based on target enrichment and whole-genome sequencing (eWGS). The RNA bait included 23,941 probes targeting 191 HPV types and 12 probes targeting beta-globin as a control. We used the Agilent SureSelect XT2 protocol for library preparation, Illumina HiSeq 2500 for sequencing, and CLC Genomics Workbench for sequence analysis. Mapping stringency for type assignment was determined based on 8 (6 HPV-positive and 2 HPV-negative) control samples. Using the optimal mapping conditions, types were assigned to 24 blinded samples. eWGS results were 100% concordant with Linear Array (LA) genotyping results for 9 plasmid samples and fully or partially concordant for 9 of the 15 cervical-vaginal samples, with 95.83% overall type-specific concordance for LA genotyping. eWGS identified 7 HPV types not included in the LA genotyping. Since this method does not involve degenerate primers targeting HPV genomic regions, PCR bias in genotype detection is minimized. With further refinements aimed at reducing cost and increasing throughput, this first application of eWGS for universal HPV typing could be a useful method to elucidate HPV epidemiology.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗