Neutron enhancement from laser interaction with a critical fluid

• Published in: Physics letters. A Vol. 382; no. 2-3; pp. 94 - 98
• Main Authors: Quevedo, H.J., Zhang, G., Bonasera, A., Donovan, M., Dyer, G., Gaul, E., Guardo, G.L., Gulino, M., La Cognata, M., Lattuada, D., Palmerini, S., Pizzone, R.G., Romano, S., Smith, H., Trippella, O., Anzalone, A., Spitaleri, C., Ditmire, T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier B.V 20-01-2018; Elsevier
• Subjects: Critical phenomena; Fusion reactions; Laser induced plasma; Physics; Critical phenomena; Laser induced plasma; Fusion reactions
• ISSN: 0375-9601; 1873-2429
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physleta.2017.11.002

We discuss experimentally and theoretically neutron production from the laser driven explosion of gas clusters prepared near the liquid-gas critical point. We let deuterated methane that was prepared very close to its critical temperature and pressure expand through a conical nozzle to create clusters, and then irradiated those clusters with a high intensity pulse from the Texas Petawatt Laser. After ionization, the clusters explode producing energetic ions, some of which fuse with resultant neutron emission. We show that the critical fluctuations present in the nozzle before the expansion influence the dynamics of neutron production. Neutron production near the critical point follows a power law, which is a signature of a second order phase transition and it is consistent with the Fisher model. This result might be relevant for energy production from fusion reactions.
•We present experimental results obtained at the UT petawatt laser facility of neutron production from a cluster gas.•The gas is prepared near the liquid-gas phase transition.•The number of fusions (neutrons) displays a maximum when the system is prepared close to the phase transition.•The Fisher model gives a qualitative/quantitative understanding of the produced number of neutrons.