Radioisotope production using lasers:From basic science to applications

The discovery of chirped pulse amplification has led to great improvements in laser technology,enabling energetic laser beams to be compressed to pulse durations of tens of femtoseconds and focused to a few micrometers.Protons with energies of tens of MeV can be accelerated using,for instance,target normal sheath acceleration and focused on secondary targets.Under such conditions,nuclear reactions can occur,with the production of radioisotopes suitable for medical application.The use of high-repetition lasers to produce such isotopes is competitive with conventional methods mostly based on accelerators.In this paper,we study the production of^(67)Cu,^(63)Zn,^(18)F,and^(11)C,which are currently used in positron emission tomography and other applications.At the same time,we study the reactions^(10)B(p,α)^(7)Be and^(70)Zn(p,4n)^(67)Ga to put further constraints on the proton distributions at different angles,as well as the reaction^(11)B(p,α)^(8)Be relevant for energy production.The experiment was performed at the 1 PW laser facility at VegaⅢin Salamanca,Spain.Angular distributions of radioisotopes in the forward(with respect to the laser direction)and backward directions were measured using a high purity germanium detector.Our results are in reasonable agreement with numerical estimates obtained following the approach of Kimura and Bonasera[Nucl.Instrum.Methods Phys.Res.,Sect.A 637,164–170(2011)].

Experimental measurements of gamma-photon production and estimation of electron/positron production on the PETAL laser facility

This article reports the first measurements of high-energy photons produced with the high-intensity PETawatt Aquitaine Laser(PETAL)laser.The experiments were performed during the commissioning of the laser.The laser had an energy of about 400 J,an intensity of 8×10^(18)W cm^(−2),and a pulse duration of 660 fs(FWHM).It was shot at a 2 mm-thick solid tungsten target.The high-energy photons were produced mainly from the bremsstrahlung process for relativistic electrons accelerated inside a plasma generated on the front side of the target.This paper reports measurements of electrons,protons and photons.Hot electrons up to35 MeV with a few-MeV temperature were recorded by a spectrometer,called SESAME(SpectreÉlectronS Angulaire MoyenneÉnergie).K-and L-shells were clearly detected by a photon spectrometer called SPECTIX(Spectromètre PetalàCristal en TransmIssion pour le rayonnnement X).High-energy photons were diagnosed by CRACC-X(Cassette de RAdiographie Centre Chambre-rayonnement X),a bremsstrahlung cannon.Bremsstrahlung cannon analysis is strongly dependent on the hypothesis adopted for the spectral shape.Different shapes can exhibit similar reproductions of the experimental data.To eliminate dependence on the shape hypothesis and to facilitate analysis of the data,simulations of the interaction were performed.To model the mechanisms involved,a simulation chain including hydrodynamic,particle-in-cell,and Monte Carlo simulations was used.The simulations model the preplasma generated at the front of the target by the PETAL laser prepulse,the acceleration of electrons inside the plasma,the generation of MeV-range photons from these electrons,and the response of the detector impacted by the energetic photon beam.All this work enabled reproduction of the experimental data.The high-energy photons produced have a large emission angle and an exponential distribution shape.In addition to the analysis of the photon spectra,positron production was also investigated.Indeed,if high-energy photons are generated inside the solid target,some positron/electron pairs may be produced by the Bethe–Heitler process.Therefore,the positron production achievable within the PETAL laser facility was quantified.To conclude the study,the possibility of creating electron/positron pairs through the linear Breit–Wheeler process with PETAL was investigated.

Optimizing laser coupling,matter heating,and particle acceleration from solids using multiplexed ultraintense lasers

Realizing the full potential of ultrahigh-intensity lasers for particle and radiation generation will require multi-beam arrangements due to technology limitations.Here,we investigate how to optimize their coupling with solid targets.Experimentally,we show that overlapping two intense lasers in a mirror-like configuration onto a solid with a large preplasma can greatly improve the generation of hot electrons at the target front and ion acceleration at the target backside.The underlying mechanisms are analyzed through multidimensional particle-in-cell simulations,revealing that the self-induced magnetic fields driven by the two laser beams at the target front are susceptible to reconnection,which is one possible mechanism to boost electron energization.In addition,the resistive magnetic field generated during the transport of the hot electrons in the target bulk tends to improve their collimation.Our simulations also indicate that such effects can be further enhanced by overlapping more than two laser beams.

Studies of laser-plasma interaction physics with low-density targets for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion on the Shenguang III prototype

The physics of laser-plasma interaction is studied on the Shenguang III prototype laser facility under conditions relevant to inertial confinement fusion designs.A sub-millimeter-size underdense hot plasma is created by ionization of a low-density plastic foam by four high-energy(3.2 kJ)laser beams.An interaction beam is fired with a delay permitting evaluation of the excitation of parametric instabilities at different stages of plasma evolution.Multiple diagnostics are used for plasma characterization,scattered radiation,and accelerated electrons.The experimental results are analyzed with radiation hydrodynamic simulations that take account of foam ionization and homogenization.The measured level of stimulated Raman scattering is almost one order of magnitude larger than that measured in experiments with gasbags and hohlraums on the same installation,possibly because of a greater plasma density.Notable amplification is achieved in high-intensity speckles,indicating the importance of implementing laser temporal smoothing techniques with a large bandwidth for controlling laser propagation and absorption.

Studies of laser-plasma interaction physics with low-density targets for direct-drive inertial confinement schemes

Comprehensive understanding and possible control of parametric instabilities in the context of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) remains achallenging task. The details of the absorption processes and the detrimental effects of hot electrons on the implosion process require as mucheffort on the experimental side as on the theoretical and simulation side. This paper describes a proposal for experimental studies on nonlinearinteraction of intense laser pulses with a high-temperature plasma under conditions corresponding to direct-drive ICF schemes. We propose todevelop a platform for laser-plasma interaction studies based on foam targets. Parametric instabilities are sensitive to the bulk plasma temperatureand the density scale length. Foam targets are sufficiently flexible to allow control of these parameters. However, investigationsconducted on small laser facilities cannot be extrapolated in a reliable way to real fusion conditions. It is therefore necessary to performexperiments at a multi-kilojoule energy level on medium-scale facilities such asOMEGAor SG-III. An example of two-plasmon decay instabilityexcited in the interaction of two laser beams is considered.

Enhanced ion acceleration using the high-energy petawatt PETAL laser

The high-energy petawatt PETAL laser system was commissioned at CEA’s Laser M´egajoule facility during the 2017–2018 period.This paper reports in detail on the first experimental results obtained at PETAL on energetic particle and photon generation from solid foil targets,with special emphasis on proton acceleration.Despite a moderately relativistic(<1019 W/cm^(2))laser intensity,proton energies as high as 51 MeV have been measured significantly above those expected from preliminary numerical simulations using idealized interaction conditions.Multidimensional hydrodynamic and kinetic simulations,taking into account the actual laser parameters,show the importance of the energetic electron production in the extended low-density preplasma created by the laser pedestal.This hot-electron generation occurs through two main pathways:(i)stimulated backscattering of the incoming laser light,triggering stochastic electron heating in the resulting counterpropagating laser beams;(ii)laser filamentation,leading to local intensifications of the laser field and plasma channeling,both of which tend to boost the electron acceleration.Moreover,owing to the large(∼100μm)waist and picosecond duration of the PETAL beam,the hot electrons can sustain a high electrostatic field at the target rear side for an extended period,thus enabling efficient target normal sheath acceleration of the rear-side protons.The particle distributions predicted by our numerical simulations are consistent with the measurements.

The L4n laser beamline of the P3-installation:Towards high-repetition rate high-energy density physics at ELI-Beamlines

The P3 installation of ELI-Beamlines is conceived as an experimental platform for multiple high-repetition-rate laser beams spanning time scales from femtosecond via picosecond to nanosecond.The upcoming L4n laser beamline will provide shaped nanosecond pulses of up to 1.9 kJ at a maximum repetition rate of 1 shot/min.This beamline will provide unique possibilities for high-pressure,high-energy-density physics,warm dense matter,and laser–plasma interaction experiments.Owing to the high repetition rate,it will become possible to obtain considerable improvements in data statistics,in particular,for equation-of-state data sets.The nanosecond beam will be coupled with short sub-picosecond pulses,providing high-resolution diagnostic tools by either irradiating a backlighter target or driving a betatron setup to generate energetic electrons and hard X-rays.

High-repetition-rate source of nanosecond duration kA-current pulses driven by relativistic laser pulses

We report the first high-repetition-rate generation and simultaneous characterization of nanosecond-scale return currents of kA-magnitude issued by the polarization of a target irradiated with a PW-class high-repetition-rate titanium:sapphire laser system at relativistic intensities.We present experimental results obtained with the VEGA-3 laser at intensities from5×10^(18)to 1.3×10^(20)W cm^(-2).A non-invasive inductive return-current monitor is adopted to measure the derivative of return currents of the order of kA ns-1and analysis methodology is developed to derive return currents.We compare the current for copper,aluminium and Kapton targets at different laser energies.The data show the stable production of current peaks and clear prospects for the tailoring of the pulse shape,which is promising for future applications in highenergy-density science,for example,electromagnetic interference stress tests,high-voltage pulse response measurements and charged particle beam lensing.We compare the target discharge of the order of hundreds of nC with theoretical predictions and a good agreement is found.

Equation of state for boron nitride along the principal Hugoniot to 16 Mbar

The thermodynamic properties of boron nitride under extreme pressures and temperatures are of great interest and importance for materials science and inertial confinement fusion physics,but they are poorly understood owing to the challenges of performing experiments and realizing ab initio calculations.Here,we report the first shock Hugoniot data on hexagonal boron nitride at pressures of 5–16 Mbar,using hohlraum-driven shock waves at the SGIII-p laser facility in China.Our density functional theory molecular dynamics calculations closely match experimental data,validating the equations of state for modeling the shock response of boron nitride and filling a crucial gap in the knowledge of boron nitride properties in the region of multi-Mbar pressures and eV temperatures.The results presented here provide fundamental insights into boron nitride under the extreme conditions relevant to inertial confinement fusion,hydrogen–boron fusion,and high-energy-density physics.

Macroscopic lasereplasma interaction under strong non-local transport conditions for coupled matter and radiation

Reliable simulations of laseretarget interaction on the macroscopic scale are burdened by the fact that the energy transport is very often non-local.This means that the mean-free-path of the transported species is larger than the local gradient scale lengths and transport can be no longer considered diffusive.Kinetic simulations are not a feasible option due to tremendous computational demands,limited validity of the collisional operators and inaccurate treatment of thermal radiation.This is the point where hydrodynamic codes with non-local radiation and electron heat transport based on first principles emerge.The simulation code PETE(Plasma Euler and Transport Equations)combines both of them with a laser absorption method based on the Helmholtz equation and a radiation diffusion scheme presented in this article.In the case of modelling ablation processes it can be observed that both,thermal and radiative,transport processes are strongly non-local for laser intensities of 10^(13) W=cm^(2) and above.In this paper simulations for various laser intensities and different ablator materials are presented,where the non-local and diffusive treatments of radiation transport are compared.Significant discrepancies are observed,supporting importance of non-local transport for inertial confinement fusion related studies as well as for pre-pulse generated plasma in ultra-high intensity laseretarget interaction.

On the study of hydrodynamic instabilities in the presence of background magnetic fields in high-energy-density plasmas

Blast-wave-driven hydrodynamic instabilities are studied in the presence of a background B-field through experiments and simulations in the high-energy-density(HED)physics regime.In experiments conducted at the Laboratoire pour l’utilisation des lasers intenses(LULI),a laserdriven shock-tube platform was used to generate a hydrodynamically unstable interface with a prescribed sinusoidal surface perturbation,and short-pulse x-ray radiography was used to characterize the instability growth with and without a 10-T B-field.The LULI experiments were modeled in FLASH using resistive and ideal magnetohydrodynamics(MHD),and comparing the experiments and simulations suggests that the Spitzer model implemented in FLASH is necessary and sufficient for modeling these planar systems.These results suggest insufficient amplification of the seed B-field,due to resistive diffusion,to alter the hydrodynamic behavior.Although the ideal-MHD simulations did not represent the experiments accurately,they suggest that similar HED systems with dynamic plasma-β(=2μ_(0)ρv^(2)/B^(2))values of less than∼100 can reduce the growth of blast-wave-driven Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities.These findings validate the resistive-MHD FLASH modeling that is being used to design future experiments for studying B-field effects in HED plasmas.

X-ray spectroscopy evidence for plasma shell formation in experiments modeling accretion columns in young stars

Recent achievements in laboratory astrophysics experiments with high-power lasers have allowed progress in our understanding of the early stages of star formation.In particular,we have recently demonstrated the possibility of simulating in the laboratory the process of the accretion of matter on young stars[G.Revet et al.,Sci.Adv.3,e1700982(2017)].The present paper focuses on x-ray spectroscopy methods that allow us to investigate the complex plasma hydrodynamics involved in such experiments.We demonstrate that we can infer the formation of a plasma shell,surrounding the accretion column at the location of impact with the stellar surface,and thus resolve the present discrepancies between mass accretion rates derived from x-ray and optical-radiation astronomical observations originating from the same object.In our experiments,the accretion column ismodeled by having a collimated narrow(1 mm diameter)plasma stream first propagate along the lines of a large-scale external magnetic field and then impact onto an obstacle,mimicking the high-density region of the stellar chromosphere.A combined approach using steady-state and quasi-stationarymodels was successfully applied tomeasure the parameters of the plasma all along its propagation,at the impact site,and in the structure surrounding the impact region.The formation of a hot plasma shell,surrounding the denser and colder core,formed by the incoming stream of matter is observed near the obstacle using x-ray spatially resolved spectroscopy.

Detailed characterization of a laboratory magnetized supercritical collisionless shock and of the associated proton energization

Collisionless shocks are ubiquitous in the Universe and are held responsible for the production of nonthermal particles and high-energy radiation.In the absence of particle collisions in the system,theory shows that the interaction of an expanding plasma with a pre-existing electromagnetic structure(as in our case)is able to induce energy dissipation and allow shock formation.Shock formation can alternatively take place when two plasmas interact,through microscopic instabilities inducing electromagnetic fields that are able in turn to mediate energy dissipation and shock formation.Using our platform in which we couple a rapidly expanding plasma induced by high-power lasers(JLF/Titan at LLNL and LULI2000)with high-strength magnetic fields,we have investigated the generation of a magnetized collisionless shock and the associated particle energization.We have characterized the shock as being collisionless and supercritical.We report here on measurements of the plasma density and temperature,the electromagnetic field structures,and the particle energization in the experiments,under various conditions of ambient plasma and magnetic field.We have also modeled the formation of the shocks using macroscopic hydrodynamic simulations and the associated particle acceleration using kinetic particle-in-cell simulations.As a companion paper to Yao et al.[Nat.Phys.17,1177–1182(2021)],here we show additional results of the experiments and simulations,providing more information to allow their reproduction and to demonstrate the robustness of our interpretation of the proton energization mechanism as being shock surfing acceleration.

Fine 3D control of THz emission in air with dual femtosecond laser pre-pulses at tunnelling ionisation regime

Emission of THz radiation from air breakdown at focused ultra-short fs-laser pulses(800 nm/35 fs)was investigated for the 3D spatio-temporal control where two pre-pulses are used before the main-pulse.The laser pulse induced air breakdown forms a~120μm-long focal volume generate shockwaves which deliver a denser air into the focal region of the main pulse for enhanced generation of THz radiation at 0.1-2.5 THz spectral window.The intensity of 162 pre-and main-pulses was at the tunnelling ionisation intensities(1-3)×10 W/cm and corresponded to sub-critical(transparent)plasma formation in air.Polarisation analysis of THz radiation revealed that orientation of the air density gradients generated by pre-pulses and their time-position locations defined the ellipticity of the generated THz electrical field.The rotational component of electric current is the origin of THz radiation.

3D Monte-Carlo model to study the transport of hot electrons in the context of inertial confinement fusion. Part Ⅰ

We describe the development of a 3D Monte-Carlo model to study hot-electron transport in ionized or partially ionized targets,considering regimes typical of inertial confinement fusion.Electron collisions are modeled using a mixed simulation algorithm that considers both soft and hard scattering phenomena.Soft collisions are modeled according to multiple-scattering theories,i.e.,considering the global effects of the scattering centers on the primary particle.Hard collisions are simulated by considering a two-body interaction between an electron and a plasma particle.Appropriate differential cross sections are adopted to correctly model scattering in ionized or partially ionized targets.In particular,an analytical form of the differential cross section that describes a collision between an electron and the nucleus of a partially ionized atom in a plasma is proposed.The loss of energy is treated according to the continuous slowing down approximation in a plasma stopping power theory.Validation against Geant4 is presented.The code will be implemented as a module in 3D hydrodynamic codes,providing a basis for the development of robust shock ignition schemes and allowing more precise interpretations of current experiments in planar or spherical geometries.

3D Monte-Carlo model to study the transport of hot electrons in the context of inertial confinement fusion. Part Ⅱ

We describe two numerical investigations performed using a 3D plasma Monte-Carlo code,developed to study hot-electron transport in the context of inertial confinement fusion.The code simulates the propagation of hot electrons in ionized targets,using appropriate scattering differential cross sections with free plasma electrons and ionized or partially ionized atoms.In this paper,we show that a target in the plasma state stops and diffuses electrons more effectively than a cold target(i.e.,a target under standard conditions in which ionization is absent).This is related to the fact that in a plasma,the nuclear potential of plasma nuclei has a greater range than in the cold case,where the screening distance is determined by the electronic structure of atoms.However,in the ablation zone created by laser interaction,electrons undergo less severe scattering,counterbalancing the enhanced diffusion that occurs in the bulk.We also show that hard collisions,i.e.,collisions with large polar scattering angle,play a primary role in electron beam diffusion and should not be neglected.An application of the plasma MonteCarlo model to typical shock ignition implosions suggests that hot electrons will not give rise to any preheating concerns if their Maxwellian temperature is lower than 25–30 keV,although the presence of populations at higher temperatures must be suppressed.This result does not depend strongly on the initial angular divergence of the electron beam set in the simulations.

Terahertz Radiation from a Longitudinal Electric Field Biased Femtosecond Filament in Air

The terahertz(THz)temporal waveform and spectrum from a longitudinal electrically biased femtosecond filament is studied experimentally.The initial direction of the electron motion inside the unbiased filament plasma is deduced from the transformation of the THz temporal waveform with applied fields of opposite polarities.Furthermore,a spectrum shift to lower frequency of the THz spectrum is observed in the presence of a biased field.It agrees well with theoretical predictions.

Characterization and performance of the Apollon short-focal-area facility following its commissioning at 1 PW level

We present the results of the first commissioning phase of the short-focal-length area of the Apollon laser facility(located in Saclay,France),which was performed with the first available laser beam(F2),scaled to a nominal power of 1 PW.Under the conditions that were tested,this beam delivered on-target pulses of 10 J average energy and 24 fs duration.Several diagnostics were fielded to assess the performance of the facility.The on-target focal spot and its spatial stability,the temporal intensity profile prior to the main pulse,and the resulting density gradient formed at the irradiated side of solid targets have been thoroughly characterized,with the goal of helping users design future experiments.Emissions of energetic electrons,ions,and electromagnetic radiation were recorded,showing good laser-to-target coupling efficiency and an overall performance comparable to that of similar international facilities.This will be followed in 2022 by a further commissioning stage at the multipetawatt level.

Design,installation and commissioning of the ELI-Beamlines high-power,high-repetition rate HAPLS laser beam transport system to P3

The design and the early commissioning of the ELI-Beamlines laser facility’s 30 J,30 fs,10 Hz HAPLS(High-repetitionrate Advanced Petawatt Laser System)beam transport(BT)system to the P3 target chamber are described in detail.It is the world’s first and with 54 m length,the longest distance high average power petawatt(PW)BT system ever built.It connects the HAPLS pulse compressor via the injector periscope with the 4.5 m diameter P3 target chamber of the plasma physics group in hall E3.It is the largest target chamber of the facility and was connected first to the BT system.The major engineering challenges are the required high vibration stability mirror support structures,the high pointing stability optomechanics as well as the required levels for chemical and particle cleanliness of the vacuum vessels to preserve the high laser damage threshold of the dielectrically coated high-power mirrors.A first commissioning experiment at low pulse energy shows the full functionality of the BT system to P3 and the novel experimental infrastructure.

Phase imaging of irradiated foils at the OMEGA EP facility using phase-stepping X-ray Talbot–Lau deflectometry

Diagnosing the evolution of laser-generated high energy density(HED)systems is fundamental to develop a correct understanding of the behavior of matter under extreme conditions.Talbot–Lau interferometry constitutes a promising tool,since it permits simultaneous single-shot X-ray radiography and phase-contrast imaging of dense plasmas.We present the results of an experiment at OMEGA EP that aims to probe the ablation front of a laser-irradiated foil using a Talbot–Lau X-ray interferometer.A polystyrene(CH)foil was irradiated by a laser of 133 J,1 ns and probed with 8 keV laser-produced backlighter radiation from Cu foils driven by a short-pulse laser(153 J,11 ps).The ablation front interferograms were processed in combination with a set of reference images obtained ex situ using phase-stepping.We managed to obtain attenuation and phase-shift images of a laser-irradiated foil for electron densities above 1022 cm−3.These results showcase the capabilities of Talbot–Lau X-ray diagnostic methods to diagnose HED laser-generated plasmas through high-resolution imaging.