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Aerogel Cherenkov Detector for Characterizing the Intense Flash X-ray Source, Cygnus, Spectrum

Conference · · Review of Scientific Instruments
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4960541· OSTI ID:1507437
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. National Security Technologies, LLC. (NSTec), Mercury, NV (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

An aerogel Cherenkov detector is proposed to measure the X-ray energy spectrum from the Cygnus - intense flash X-ray source operated at the Nevada National Security Site. An array of aerogels set at a variety of thresholds between 1 ~ 3 MeV will be adequate to map out the bremsstrahlung X-ray production of the Cygnus, where the maximum energy of the spectrum is normally around 2.5 MeV. In addition to Cherenkov radiation from aerogels, one possible competing light-production mechanism is optical transition radiation (OTR), which may be significant in aerogels due to the large number of transitions from SiO2 clusters to vacuum voids. To examine whether OTR is a problem, four aerogel samples were tested using a mono-energetic electron beam (varied in the range of 1 ~ 3 MeV) at NSTec Los Alamos Operations. It was demonstrated that aerogels can be used as a Cherenkov medium, where the rate of the light production is about two orders magnitude higher when the electron beam energy is above threshold.

Research Organization:
Nevada National Security Site/National Security Technologies, LLC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Programs (DP) (NA-10)
DOE Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25946
OSTI ID:
1507437
Report Number(s):
DOE/NV/03624--2913
Journal Information:
Review of Scientific Instruments, Journal Name: Review of Scientific Instruments Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 87
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (4)

Simulation of the Cygnus Rod-Pinch Diode Using the Radiographic Chain Model journal April 2009
Monte Carlo validation experiments for the gas Cherenkov detectors at the National Ignition Facility and Omega journal July 2013
A Cherenkov Radiation Detector With High Density Aerogels journal June 2009
On optical transition radiation of charged particles in SiO2-aerogels
  • Ruzicka, J.; Krupa, L.; Fadejev, V. A.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 384, Issue 2-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9002(96)00903-5
journal January 1997

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Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Aerogel Cherenkov Detector for Characterizing the Intense Flash X-ray Source
Cygnus
Spectrum