Diagnosis of indirectly driven double shell targets with point-projection hard x-ray radiography

We present an application of short-pulse laser-generated hard x rays for the diagnosis of indirectly driven double shell targets. Coneinserted double shell targets were imploded through an indirect drive approach on the upgraded SG-II laser facility. Then, based on thepoint-projection hard x-ray radiography technique, time-resolved radiography of the double shell targets, including that of their near-peakcompression, were obtained. The backlighter source was created by the interactions of a high-intensity short pulsed laser with a metalmicrowire target. Images of the target near peak compression were obtained with an Au microwire. In addition, radiation hydrodynamicsimulations were performed, and the target evolution obtained agrees well with the experimental results. Using the radiographic images, arealdensities of the targets were evaluated.

Virtual source approach for maximizing resolution in high-penetration gamma-ray imaging

High-energy gamma-ray radiography has exceptional penetration ability and has become an indispensable nondestructive testing(NDT)tool in various fields.For high-energy photons,point projection radiography is almost the only feasible imaging method,and its spatial resolution is primarily constrained by the size of the gamma-ray source.In conventional industrial applications,gamma-ray sources are commonly based on electron beams driven by accelerators,utilizing the process of bremsstrahlung radiation.The size of the gamma-ray source is dependent on the dimensional characteristics of the electron beam.Extensive research has been conducted on various advanced accelerator technologies that have the potential to greatly improve spatial resolution in NDT.In our investigation of laser-driven gamma-ray sources,a spatial resolution of about 90μm is achieved when the areal density of the penetrated object is 120 g/cm^(2).A virtual source approach is proposed to optimize the size of the gamma-ray source used for imaging,with the aim of maximizing spatial resolution.In this virtual source approach,the gamma ray can be considered as being emitted from a virtual source within the convertor,where the equivalent gamma-ray source size in imaging is much smaller than the actual emission area.On the basis of Monte Carlo simulations,we derive a set of evaluation formulas for virtual source scale and gamma-ray emission angle.Under optimal conditions,the virtual source size can be as small as 15μm,which can significantly improve the spatial resolution of high-penetration imaging to less than 50μm.

Manipulation and optimization of electron transport by nanopore array targets

The transport of sub-picosecond laser-driven fast electrons in nanopore array targets is studied.Attributed to the generation of micro-structured magnetic fields,most fast electron beams are proven to be effectively guided and restricted during the propagation.Different transport patterns of fast electrons in the targets are observed in experiments and reproduced by particle-in-cell simulations,representing two components:initially collimated low-energy electrons in the center and high-energy scattering electrons turning into surrounding annular beams.The critical energy for confined electrons is deduced theoretically.The electron guidance and confinement by the nano-structured targets offer a technological approach to manipulate and optimize the fast electron transport by properly modulating pulse parameters and target design,showing great potential in many applications including ion acceleration,microfocus x-ray sources and inertial confinement fusion.

Region-of-interest micro-focus computed tomography based on an all-optical inverse Compton scattering source

Micro-focus computed tomography(CT),which allows the hyperfine structure within objects to be reconstructed,is a powerful nondestructive testing tool in many fields.However,current x-ray sources for micro-focus CT are typically limited by their relatively low photon energy and low flux.An all-optical inverse Compton scattering source(AOCS)based on laser wakefield acceleration can generate intense quasi-monoenergetic x/gamma-ray pulses in the kilo-to megaelectronvolt range with micrometer-level source size,and its potential application for micro-focus CT has become very attractive in recent years because of the rapid progress made in laser wakefield acceleration.Reported here is a successful experimental demonstration of high-fidelity micro-focus CT using an AOCS(∼70 keV)by imaging and reconstructing a test object with complex inner structures.A region-of-interest CT method is adopted to utilize the relatively small field of view of the AOCS to ensure high spatial resolution.This demonstration of AOCS-based region-of-interest micro-focus CT is a key step toward its application in the field of hyperfine nondestructive testing.

Proton radiography of magnetic fields generated with an open-ended coil driven by high power laser pulses

Recently generation of strong magnetic(B)fields has been demonstrated in capacitor coils heated by high power laser pulses[S.Fujioka et al.,Sci.Rep.3,1170(2013)].This paper will present a direct measurement of B field generated with an open-ended coil target driven by a nanosecond laser pulse using ultrafast proton radiography.The radiographs are analyzed with particle-tracing simulations.The B field at the coil center is inferred to be ~50 T at an irradiance of ~5×10^(14) W·cm^(-2).The B field generation is attributed to the background cold electron flow pointing to the laser focal spot,where a target potential is induced due to the escape of energetic electrons.

Commissioning experiment of the high-contrast SILEX-Ⅱ multi-petawatt laser facility

The results of a commissioning experiment on the SILEX-Ⅱlaser facility(formerly known as CAEP-PW)are reported.SILEX-Ⅱis a complete optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification laser facility.The peak power reached about 1 PWin a 30 fs pulse duration during the experiment.The laser contrast was better than 1010 at 20 ps ahead of the main pulse.In the basic laser foil target interaction,a set of experimental data were collected,including spatially resolved x-ray emission,the image of the coherent transition radiation,the harmonic spectra in the direction of reflection,the energy spectra and beam profile of accelerated protons,hot-electron spectra,and transmitted laser energy fraction and spatial distribution.The experimental results show that the laser intensity reached 531020 W/cm^(2) within a 5.8μm focus(FWHM).Significant laser transmission did not occur when the thickness of theCHfoil was equal to or greater than 50 nm.The maximum energy of the accelerated protons in the target normal direction was roughly unchanged when the target thickness varied between 50 nm and 15μm.The maximum proton energy via the target normal sheath field acceleration mechanism was about 21 MeV.We expect the on-target laser intensity to reach 10^(22) W/cm^(2) in the near future,after optimization of the laser focus and upgrade of the laser power to 3 PW.

High-resolution X-ray flash radiography of Ti characteristic lines with multilayer Kirkpatrick–Baez microscope at the Shenguang-ⅡUpdate laser facility

High-resolution X-ray flash radiography of Ti characteristic lines with a multilayer Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope was developed on the Shenguang-Ⅱ(SG-Ⅱ)Update laser facility.The microscope uses an optimized multilayer design of Co/C and W/C stacks to obtain a high reflection efficiency of the Ti characteristic lines while meeting the precise alignment requirement at the Cu Kα line.The alignment method based on dual simulated balls was proposed herein,which simultaneously realizes an accurate indication of the center field of view and the backlighter position.The optical design,multilayer coatings,and alignment method of the microscope and the experimental result of Ti flash radiography of the Au-coned CH shell target on the SG-Ⅱ Update are described.

A new method on diagnostics of muons produced by a short pulse laser

Muons produced by a short pulse laser can serve as a new type of muon source having potential advantages of high intensity, small source emittance, short pulse duration and low cost. To validate it in experiments, a suitable muon diagnostics system is needed since high muon flux generated by a short pulse laser shot is always accompanied by high radiation background, which is quite different from cases in general muon researches. A detection system is proposed to distinguish muon signals from radiation background by measuring the muon lifetime. It is based on the scintillator detector with water and lead shields, in which water is used to adjust energies of muons stopped in the scintillator and lead to against radiation background. A Geant 4 simulation on the performance of the detection system shows that efficiency up to 52% could be arrived for low-energy muons around 200 MeV and this efficiency decreases to 14% for high-energy muons above 1000 MeV. The simulation also shows that the muon lifetime can be derived properly by measuring attenuation of the scintilla light of electrons from muon decays inside the scintillator detector.

High-Order Interpolation Algorithms for Charge Conservation in Particle-in-Cell Simulations

High-order interpolation algorithms for charge conservation in Particle-inCell(PIC)simulations are presented.The methods are valid for the case that a particle trajectory is a zigzag line.The second-order and third-order algorithms which can be applied to any even-order and odd-order are discussed in this paper,respectively.Several test simulations are performed to demonstrate their validity in two-dimensional PIC code.Compared with the simulation results of one-order,high-order algorithms have advantages in computation precision and enlarging the grid scales which reduces the CPU time.