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Nuclear fusion in gases of deuterium clusters heated with a femtosecond laser

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.874020· OSTI ID:20216063
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  1. Laser Program, L-477 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Livermore, California 94550 (United States)
Recent experiments on the interaction of intense, ultrafast pulses with large van der Waals bonded clusters have shown that these clusters can explode with substantial kinetic energy. Producing explosions in deuterium clusters with a 35 fs laser pulse, deuterium ions were accelerated to sufficient kinetic energy to drive deuterium-deuterium (DD) nuclear fusion. By diagnosing the fusion yield through measurements of 2.45 MeV fusion neutrons, over 10{sup 4} neutrons per laser shot were measured when 100 mJ of laser energy is used. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.
OSTI ID:
20216063
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 7; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English