title: Bright laser-driven neutron source based on the relativistic transparency of solids.
abstract: Neutrons are unique particles to probe samples in many fields of research ranging from biology to material sciences to engineering and security applications. Access to bright, pulsed sources is currently limited to large accelerator facilities and there has been a growing need for compact sources over the recent years. Short pulse laser driven neutron sources could be a compact and relatively cheap way to produce neutrons with energies in excess of 10 MeV. For more than a decade experiments have tried to obtain neutron numbers sufficient for applications. Our recent experiments demonstrated an ion acceleration mechanism based on the concept of relativistic transparency. Using this new mechanism, we produced an intense beam of high energy (up to 170 MeV) deuterons directed into a Be converter to produce a forward peaked neutron flux with a record yield, on the order of 10(10)  n/sr. We present results comparing the two acceleration mechanisms and the first short pulse laser generated neutron radiograph.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schloßgartenstrasse 9, D-64289 Darmstadt, Germany and Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Falk
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guler
authors.affiliation: Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schloßgartenstrasse 9, D-64289 Darmstadt, Germany.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Deppert
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Devlin
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Favalli
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gautier
authors.affiliation: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geissel
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haight
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Hegelich
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Merrill
authors.affiliation: Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schloßgartenstrasse 9, D-64289 Darmstadt, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schaumann
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schoenberg
authors.affiliation: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schollmeier
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taddeucci
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Tybo
authors.affiliation: Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schloßgartenstrasse 9, D-64289 Darmstadt, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Wender
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wilde
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Wurden