A Miniature Thermal Neutron Source Using High Power Lasers

The continuous improvement of high power laser technologies is recasting the prospects of small-scale neutron sources to enable scientific communities and industries performing experiments that are currently offered at extensive accelerator-driven facilities. This paper reports moderation of laser-driven fast neutrons to thermal energies using a compact, modular, moderator assembly. A significant thermal (similar to 25 meV) flux of similar to 10(6) n/sr/pulse was measured from water and plastic moderators in a proof-of-principle experiment employing a relatively moderate power laser delivering 200 J on the target in 10 ps. Using Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended simulations, the experimental results are reproduced and discussed.