Fast neutrons, which are neutrons with energies greater than 1 MeV, are expected to be a source of nondestructive inspection for a large-size infrastructure such as a bridge girder because of their mean free path exceeding the meter. A neutron-imaging device with 10-ns time resolution can discriminate pulsed neutrons from X-rays via time of flight. For this purpose, we require a fast-response neutron imager with large aperture and high image resolution. A neutron-imaging device with time resolution of 10 ns and aperture size of 40 cm × 60 cm was developed. It was filled with fast response liquid scintillator [1] in an aluminum honeycomb plate, which converts neutrons to optical light images. The scintillation light images were relayed using an optical lens and detected using a fast response image intensified CCD. The detector was tested at an electron linear accelerator (LINAC) facility in Osaka University. A short X-ray pulse (30 ps pulse duration) was generated using LINAC, and X-ray radiograph images were obtained with a 10- ns exposure time duration. The radiograph images were well attenuated within 10-ns from the X-ray injection. A high energy X-ray image and a neutron radiograph image of a 30-cm thick concrete block with iron blocks located behind it were successfully observed. This promising technique could facilitate nondestructive inspection of large concrete constructions.
Two kinds of pulsed lasers in Japan and Czech Republic were used to irradiate various sample materials to investigate the surface erosion thresholds under very hazardous environments including nuclear fusion chambers. The first was ArF laser in ILT and the second was XUV laser in IPP. These data were in-cooperated with our former data to build up our material strength data for our succeeding applications of various materials to a variety of fields. As an example, we proposed surface erosion monitors to notice the fusion chamber maintenance times with which the facilities can be protected from the collapses under very severe operation conditions. These kinds of monitors are expected to be useful for future different kinds of mechanical structures not only for the fusion chambers but also various chambers for many purposes. Special upconversion phosphors are also newly proposed to be used as the candidate materials to measure the thermal inputs onto the front surfaces of the armor structures. Optical transparent SiC was also newly tested to enrich our data base for our future diagnostic and protection possibilities.
Koichi Kasuya, S. Ozawa, T. Norimatsu, H. Azechi, K. Mima, S. Nakai, S. Suzuki, B. Budner, W. Mroz, N. Kasuya, W. Kasuya, Kei. Kasuya, Y. Izawa, H. Furukawa, Y. Shimada, T. Yamanaka, M. Nakai, K. Nagai, K. Yokoyama, K. Ezato, M. Enoeda, M. Akiba, A. Prokopiuk
The most recent fundamental research results to investigate surface erosions of nuclear fusion candidate
chamber materials are described in short. We used a commercial surface profiler with a red semiconductor
laser. Various material surfaces ablated and eroded by a rather short pulse electron beam and a short pulse
ArF laser light were measured with this surface profiler and the associated three-dimensional analysis
software. Threshold input levels for various sample surface erosions with electron and laser beams were
clearly decided for the first time with our new method in this article. After the above fundamental results were
gathered, the methods to inspect inner surface conditions of nuclear fusion reactor chambers were newly
proposed with various kinds of laser displacement sensors. The first one is the erosion monitor with the above
profiler, and the second one is the laser induced ultrasonic wave detection method to inspect deeper surface
layers than the first one.
Hydrodynamic instabilities are key issues of the physics of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets. Among the instabilities, Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability is the most important because it gives the largest growth factor in the ICF targets. Perturbations on the laser irradiated surface grow exponentially, but the growth rate is reduced by ablation flow. The growth rate γ is written as Takabe-Betti formula: γ = [kg/(1+kL)]1/2–βkm/pa, where k is wave number of the perturbation, g is acceleration, L is density scale-length, β is a coefficient, m is mass ablation rate per unit surface, and ρa is density at the ablation front. We experimentally measured all the parameters in the formula for polystyrene (CH) targets. Experiments were done on the HIPER laser facility at Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University. We found that the β value in the formula is ~ 1.7, which is in good agreements with the theoretical prediction, whereas the β for certain perturbation wavelengths are larger than the prediction. This disagreement between the experiment and the theory is mainly due to the deformation of the cutoff surface, which is created by non-uniform ablation flow from the ablation surface. We also found that high-Z doped plastic targets have multiablation structure, which can reduce the RT growth rate. When a low-Z target with high-Z dopant is irradiated by laser, radiation due to the high-Z dopant creates secondary ablation front deep inside the target. Since, the secondary ablation front is ablated by x-rays, the mass ablation rate is larger than the laser-irradiated ablation surface, that is, further reduction of the RT growth is expected. We measured the RT growth rate of Br-doped polystyrene targets. The experimental results indicate that of the CHBr targets show significantly small growth rate, which is very good news for the design of the ICF targets.
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission from laser produced plasma attracts much attention as a next generation lithography
source. The characterization of EUV emission has been carried out using GEKKO XII laser system. The twelve beams
irradiated tin or tin-oxide coated spherical targets uniformly and dependence of EUV spectra on laser intensity were
obtained with a transmission grating spectrometer and two grazing incidence spectrometers. The EUV Conversion
Efficiency (CE, the ratio of EUV energy at the wavelength of 13.5 nm with 2 % bandwidth to incident laser energy) was
measured using an absolutely calibrated EUV calorimeter. Optimum laser intensities for the highest conversion were
found to be 0.5- 1x1011 W/cm2 with CE of 3 %. The spectroscopic data indicate that shorter wavelength emission
increases at higher laser intensities due to excessive heating beyond optimum temperatures (20- 40 eV). The CE was
almost independent on the initial coating thickness down to 25 nm.
Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV) light source produced by laser irradiation emits not only the desired EUV light of
13 ~ 14 nm (about 90 eV) but also shorter x-rays. For example, emissions around 4 ~ 8 nm (about 150 ~ 300 eV)
and 1 ~ 2.5 nm (about 0.5 ~ 1.2 keV) are experimentally observed from Sn and/or SnO2 plasmas. These
emissions are correspond to the N-shell and M-shell transitions, respectively. From the view point of energy
balance and efficiency, these transitions should be suppressed. However, they may, to some extent, contribute
to provide the 5p and 4f levels with electrons which eventually emit the EUV light and enhance the intensity.
To know well about radiative properties and kinematic of the whole plasma, atomic population kinetics and
spectral synthesis codes have been developed. These codes can estimate the atomic population with nl-scheme
and spectral shapes of the EUV light. Radiation hydrodynamic simulation have been proceeding in this analysis.
Finally, the laser intensity dependence of the conversion efficiency calculated by these codes agrees with that of
the corresponding experimental results.
Extremely ultraviolet (EUV) light at around 13.5 nm of wavelength is the most probable candidate of the light source for lithography for semiconductors of next generation. We have been studying about the EUV light source from laser-produced plasma. Detailed understanding of the EUV plasma is required for developments of modeling with simulation codes. Several parameters should be experimentally measured to develop the important issues in the simulation codes. We focused on density profile, properties of EUV emission, and opacity of the laser-produced plasmas. We present re-cent experimental results on these basic properties of the laser-produced EUV plasmas.
A new research project on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source development has just been started at the Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University. The main task of this project is to find a scientific basis for generating efficient, high-quality, high power EUV plasma source for semiconductor industry. A set of experimental data is to be provided to develop a detailed atomic model included in computer code through experiments using GEKKO-XII high power laser and smaller but high-repetitive lasers. Optimum conditions for efficient EUV generation will be investigated by changing properties of lasers and targets. As the first step of the experiments, spherical solid tin and tin-oxide targets were illuminated uniformly with twelve beams from the GEKKO XII. It has been confirmed that maximum conversion efficiency into 13.5 nm EUV light is achieved at illumination intensity less than 2 x 1011 W/cm2. No significant difference is found between laser wavelengths of one μm and a half μm. Density structure of the laser-irradiated surface of a planar tin target has beem measured experimentally at 1012 W/cm2 to show formation of double ablation structure with density plateau by thermal radiation transport. An opacity experiment has just been initiated.
Hydrodynamic instability in laser-irradiated targets have been investigated in detail by using ultra high-speed x-ray radiographic technique. Recently developed high-resolution x-ray imaging for laser-driven Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability experiments as well as data including RT growth rate, ablation density and plasma density profile are desribed. Results are of great importance for comprehensive understanding of the dispersion relation of the laser-driven RT instability. Especially, direct observation of the ablation density was first achieved with temporal and spatial resolutions of 100 ps and 3 μm, respectively. Imaging techniques includes x-ray Moire imaging, x-ray penumbral imaging and Fresnel phase zone plate imaging coupled with x-ray streak cameras or x-ray CCD cameras. Experiments were performed by using Gekko-XII/HIPER laser system at the Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University.
Indirect/direct-hybrid drive scheme to suppress the initial imprint of the laser irradiation nonuniformities has been proposed and investigated as a new drive scheme for inertial fusion. In direct drive inertial confinement fusion, initial imprinting of laser irradiation nonuniformity is considered to cause seeding of the perturbation on target surface in the very beginning of the irradiation which may be amplified by Rayleigh-Taylor instability in the acceleration phase of the implosion and be deleterious to efficient heating of the hot spark at the center of the compressed fuel core plasma. In indirect/direct-hybrid drive scheme, the target is first irradiated very uniformly with low-intensity soft x-ray prepulse from external sources apart from the target. Indirect x-ray pre-irradiation of the surface causes a pre- expansion layer of the plasma before the irradiation of the direct drive laser beam. When the drive beam comes later, the target has a substantial stand-off distance between the ablation front and the beam absorption region. Thus the thermal smoothing effect is expected to occur in this transport layer, and the initial imprint can be significantly reduced. We have demonstrated planar target experiments on the indirect/direct hybrid scheme and observed reduction of the initial imprint. Implosion experiments the indirect/direct hybrid drive spherical capsules with external x-ray sources has been started. Overall implosion was performed successfully.
KEYWORDS: Plasma, Optical spheres, Foam, X-rays, Wave propagation, Signal to noise ratio, Information operations, High power lasers, Radiography, Optical simulations
Laboratory simulation of the ejecta-ring collision of Supernova 1987A has been performed by using a high power laser syste. Pure hydrodynamic modeling was applied using the invariance of the Euler equations and the experiment was designed with 1D hydrodynamic simulations. Three laser beams of (lambda) equals 0.53 micrometers , at the intensity I equals 2 X 1014 W/cm2 irradiated a CH foil to generate a strong shock wave and subsequent dense plasma flow in a low density CHO foam including a solid sphere at its center. Shock wave propagation and ma sam flow with vortex ring-like structures were observed with gated x-ray radiography. Overall hydrodynamic behaviors are consistent with 1D and 2D hydrodynamic simulations. The collision dynamics is dominated by a complicated interplay of reflected shock, diffracted shock, transmitted shock waves, and plasma flow behind the main shock passage.
Reviewed are the progress in direct drive implosion researches with Gekko XII laser system. Precise observation of the growth rate of Rayleigh-Taylor instability and the suppression of imprints using indirect-direct hybrid implosion have been investigated. Theoretical and experimental researchers on the fast ignition scheme are also studied. Relativistic laser plasma interaction experiments with Peta-Watt Module and Gekko XII are also described. Finally, the future direction of the research including the development of solid state laser for fusion reactor is discussed.
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