Pulsed neutron source from interaction of petawatt femtosecond laser with pitcher-catcher

摘要: Production of pulsed neutron sources from petawatt-class femtosecond laser interacting with pitcher-catcher target is studied by comprehensively using radiation hydrodynamic, particle-in-cell and monte-carlo simulations. We find that the preplasma from the ablation of laser prepulse is beneficial for increasing the neutron yield. Be converter as the catcher layer could offer superior performance in improving the quality of neutron source. For the experimental consideration, a novel converter with LiH ceramic wrapping Be material is designed to maintain emissions within safety limits and achieve high retention rate. With a laser of intensity 4×10²¹ W/cm², duration 30 fs and power 1.45 PW, one can obtain a forward-peaked neutron source of yield 1.95×10¹⁰, duration 150 ps and maximum energy ~70 MeV. This high-quality pulsed neutron source can be produced at a high repetition rate, and is promising for industrial non-destructive tests and related applications.