Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Photonuclear fission with quasimonoenergetic electron beams from laser wakefields

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2400400· OSTI ID:20880118
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. FOCUS Center and Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2099 (United States)
Recent advancements in laser wakefield accelerators have resulted in the generation of low divergence, hundred MeV, quasimonoenergetic electron beams. The bremsstrahlung produced by these highly energetic electrons in heavy converters includes a large number of MeV {gamma} rays that have been utilized to induce photofission in natural uranium. Analysis of the measured delayed {gamma} emission demonstrates production of greater than 3x10{sup 5} fission events per joule of laser energy, which is more than an order of magnitude greater than that previously achieved. Monte Carlo simulations model the generated bremsstrahlung spectrum and compare photofission yields as a function of target depth and incident electron energy.
OSTI ID:
20880118
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 23 Vol. 89; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English