Nuclear Physics using NIF
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the world's premier inertial confinement fusion facility designed to achieve sustained thermonuclear burn (ignition) through the compression of hydrogen isotopic fuels to densities in excess of 10{sup 3} g/cm{sup 3} and temperatures in excess of 100 MK. These plasma conditions are very similar to those found in the cores of Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars where the s-process takes place, but with a neutron fluence per year 10{sup 4} times greater than a star. These conditions make NIF an excellent laboratory to measure s-process (n,{gamma}) cross sections in a stellar-like plasma for the first time. Starting in Fall 2009, NIF has been operating regularly with 2-4 shots being performed weekly. These experiments have allowed the first in situ calibration of the detectors and diagnostics needed to measure neutron capture, including solid debris collection and prompt {gamma}-ray detection. In this paper I will describe the NIF facility and capsule environment and present two approaches for measuring s-process neutron capture cross sections using NIF.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 1037848
- Report Number(s):
- LLNL-PROC-505432; TRN: US1201706
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Presented at: Fourteenth International Symposium on Capture Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy and Related Topics, Guelph, Canada, Aug 28 - Sep 02, 2011
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
42 ENGINEERING
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
CALIBRATION
CAPTURE
COMPRESSION
CROSS SECTIONS
DETECTION
HYDROGEN
IGNITION
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
NEUTRON FLUENCE
NEUTRON REACTIONS
NUCLEAR PHYSICS
PLASMA
S PROCESS
SPECTROSCOPY
STARS
US NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY