Measurements of temporally- and spatially-resolved neutron production in a sheared-flow stabilized Z-pinch

Mitrani, James M.; Higginson, Drew P.; Draper, Zack T.; Morrell, Jonathan; Bernstein, Lee A.; Claveau, Elliot L.; Cooper, Christopher M.; Forbes, Eleanor G.; Golingo, Ray P.; Nelson, Brian A.; Schmidt, Andrea E.; Stepanov, Anton D.; Weber, Tobin R.; Zhang, Yue; McLean, Harry S.; Shumlak, Uri

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2019.162764

Title: Measurements of temporally- and spatially-resolved neutron production in a sheared-flow stabilized Z-pinch

Journal Article · Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2019.162764· OSTI ID:1811753

Mitrani, James M. ^[1]; Higginson, Drew P. ^[1]; Draper, Zack T. ^[2]; Morrell, Jonathan ^[3]; Bernstein, Lee A. ^[3]; Claveau, Elliot L. ^[2]; Cooper, Christopher M. ^[1]; Forbes, Eleanor G. ^[2]; Golingo, Ray P. ^[2]; Nelson, Brian A. ^[2]; Schmidt, Andrea E. ^[1]; Stepanov, Anton D. ^[2]; Weber, Tobin R. ^[2]; Zhang, Yue ^[2]; McLean, Harry S. ^[1]; Shumlak, Uri ^[2]

Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

A novel approach using multiple scintillator detectors is applied to measure temporally- and spatially-resolved neutron production in the Fusion Z-pinch Experiment (FuZE) device, a Sheared-Flow Stabilized (SFS) Z-pinch. Diagnosing neutron production from FuZE is important for determining if fusion is thermonuclear and whether the FuZE device can be scaled toward reactor conditions. Absolute yields of up to 2 × 10⁵ neutrons per discharge are measured with calibrated plastic scintillator detectors operating in pulse-counting mode. Neutron emission durations of up to ~8 μs are inferred by recording the time difference between the first and last pulses for each discharge. Multiple scintillator detectors located at different positions with respect to the fusing plasma are used to demonstrate that the axial extent of the neutron producing region is comparable to the device volume. Scintillator detectors are well-suited as neutron diagnostics for FuZE and other plasma devices with similar yields and emission durations. Increasing the neutron yield, duration, and volume of the neutron emitting region within the plasma column are significant experimental objectives for FuZE.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344; AR-0000571

OSTI ID:: 1811753

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1568948

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL-817831; 1027769; TRN: US2213193

Journal Information:: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 947, Issue N/A; ISSN 0168-9002

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 6 works

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References (23)

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