Investigation of neutron emissions from D(d,n)³He and T(d,n)⁴He reactions in a 10 TW picosecond laser facility SOKOL-P

Abstract

Experimental results on fast neutron generation in D(d,n) 3 He and T(d,n) 4 He reactions in the SOKOL-P laser facility [1] are presented. Solid targets were irradiated by 1.054 μm, s- or p-polarized laser pulses of energy 5-8 J on target and duration 0.85-2 ps. The peak laser intensity was 0.5-2·10 18 W/cm 2 . Flat deuterated plastic (CD 2 ) n targets and D α T β targets were used in experiments. Some experiments were carried out with additional targets placed in front of and behind the laser target. The used (TOF) time-of-flight technique helped identify neutrons from D(d,n) 3 He and T(d,n) 4 He reactions. Yields up to 10 6 DD-neutrons and 10 7 DT-neutrons were measured. Interaction of the fast ion beam with the target can explain the observed yield.