A team of Los Alamos researchers supported a final campaign to use the Trident laser to produce neutrons, contributed their multidisciplinary expertise to experimentally assess if laser-driven neutron sources can be useful for MaRIE. MaRIE is the Laboratory's proposed experimental facility for the study of matter-radiation interactions in extremes. Neutrons provide a radiographic probe that is complementary to x-rays and protons, and can address imaging challenges not amenable to those beams. The team's efforts characterize the Laboratory's responsiveness, flexibility, and ability to apply diverse expertise where needed to perform successful complex experiments.

A variety of opportunities for characterization of fresh nuclear fuels using thermal (~25meV) and epithermal (~10eV) neutrons have been documented at Los Alamos National Laboratory. They include spatially resolved non-destructive characterization of features, isotopic enrichment, chemical heterogeneity and stoichiometry. The LANSCE spallation neutron source is well suited in neutron fluence and temporal characteristics for studies of fuels. However, recent advances in high power short pulse lasers suggest that compact neutron sources might, over the next decade, become viable at a price point that would permit their consideration for poolside characterization on site at irradiation facilities. In a laser-driven neutron source the laser is used to accelerate deuterium ions into a beryllium target where neutrons are produced. At this time, the technology is new and their total neutron production is approximately four orders of magnitude less than a facility like LANSCE. However, recent measurements on a sub-optimized system demonstrated>1010 neutrons in sub-nanosecond pulses in predominantly forward direction. The compactness of the target system compared to a spallation target may allow exchanging the target during a measurement to e.g. characterize a highly radioactive sample with thermal, epithermal, and fast neutrons as well as hard X-rays, thus avoiding sample handling. At this time several groups are working on laser-driven neutron production and are advancing concepts for lasers, laser targets, and optimized neutron target/moderator systems. Advances in performance sufficient to enable poolside fuels characterization with LANSCE-like fluence on sample within a decade may be possible. This report describes the underlying physics and state-of-the-art of the laser-driven neutron production process from the perspective of the DOE/NE mission. It also discusses the development and understanding that will be necessary to provide customized capability for characterization of irradiated fuels. Potential operational advantages compared to a spallation neutron source include reduced shielding complexity, reduced energy requirements, and a production target free of fission products. Contributors to this report include experts in laser-driven neutron production (Roth, Fernandez), laser design (Haefner, Siders, Leemans), laser target design (Glenzer), spallation target/moderator design (Mocko), neutron instrumentation and characterization applications (Vogel, Bourke).

The explosion of deuterated clusters heated by ultra short, high intense laser pulses provides ions with sufficient energy to undergo fusion reactions. Based on this mechanism monochromatic dd-fusion neutrons can be produced by illuminating deuterium clusters with a high intensity laser. For the work presented in this thesis we employed such a cluster fusion neutron source. The clusters from a cryogenically cooled gas jet were heated with a femtosecond, terawatt class Ti:sapphire laser. The results presented in this thesis fall into three categories. First general features of the neutron source will be discussed including the energy dependence and the angular dependence of the neutron source. Then as a first application of the source the calibration of a neutron detector for single shot dd-fusion experiments will be presented. Finally magnetic confinement as a method for increasing the neutron yield will be discussed.

The Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) at Argonne National Laboratory is a spallation neutron source dedicated to materials research. Its three cryogenic methane moderators provide twelve neutron beams to fourteen neutron scattering instruments and test facilities. The moderators at IPNS are of cryogenic methane (CH4); one of liquid methane at 100 K, and two of solid methane at 30 K. These moderators produce intense beams of both cold and thermal neutrons. The moderators are each of a different physical configuration in order to tailor their performance for the instruments and facilities that operate on the neutron beams. As part of the ongoing operation of IPNS, as well as new enhancements to the target, moderator, and reflector systems, we have performed experiments characterizing the energy and time distribution of neutrons in the various beams. These measurements provide absolutely normalized energy spectra using foil activation techniques joined with time-of-flight measurements, and energy-dependent time distributions using a time-focused crystal analyzer. The IPNS accelerator system delivers 14 [mu]A of 450 MeV protons, in 100 ns pulses at 30 Hz, to a target composed of water-cooled depleted uranium disks. The solid methane ''H'' moderator is 100 by 100 by 45 mm in size, centerline poisoned with 0.25 mg/mm2 gadolinium, and decoupled from the graphite reflector with 0.5 mm of cadmium. The liquid methane ''F'' moderator, which is viewed from both faces, is also 100 by 100 by 45 mm in size, gadolinium poisoned 16 mm below each of the two viewed surfaces, and decoupled from the graphite reflector with cadmium. The solid methane ''C'' moderator has a re-entrant ''grooved'' geometry. The moderator is 100 by 100 by 80 mm overall, with 40 mm deep 12 mm wide horizontal grooves in the viewed surface. These grooves cover 50% of the viewed surface area. The ''C'' moderator is unpoisoned, but is decoupled from the graphite reflector with 0.5 mm of cadmium.