Implementation of a New Neutron Temporal Diagnostic

2013:

The OMEGA neutron temporal diagnostic (NTD) was replaced with a ROSS streak-camera-based system. The new diagnostic included a ROSS streak camera, a new optical relay system, and a new motion control system for the scintillator nose cone. The new assembly makes it possible to change out nose cones without a target chamber entry, which will facilitate more frequent NTD calibration. The impulse response of the ROSS-based system is better characterized, reducing the uncertainty in the inferred cryogenic implosion pressures. The NTD measures the temporal history of neutron production in inertial confinement fusion implosions, and the temporal history measurement is used to infer important performance parameters from cryogenic deuterium-tritium implosions at LLE (e.g., bang time, burn rate, and peak pressure in the fuel). The new hardware improves the impulse response of the instrument, which will reduce the uncertainty in these performance parameters.

Shown here is OMEGA neutron temporal diagnostic