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Ultra-fast single-crystal CVD diamonds in the particle time-of-flight (PTOF) detector for low yield burn-history measurements on the NIF (invited)

MetadataDetails
Publication Date2025-01-01
JournalReview of Scientific Instruments
AuthorsB. L. Reichelt, R. Kishimori, Y. Lawrence, C. W. Wink, M. Gatu Johnson
InstitutionsApplied Energetics (United States), Los Alamos National Laboratory
Citations1

The Particle Time of Flight (PTOF) diagnostic is a chemical vapor deposition diamond-based detector and is the only diagnostic for measuring nuclear bang times of low yield (<1013) shots on the National Ignition Facility. Recently, a comprehensive study of detector impulse responses revealed certain detectors with very fast and consistent impulse responses with a rise time of <50 ps, enabling low yield burn history measurements. At the current standoff of 50 cm, this measurement is possible with fast 14 MeV neutrons from deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion plasmas. PTOF-inferred DT burn width numbers compare well with widths inferred from the gamma reaction history diagnostic on mid-yield (1013-1015) shots, where both systems are capable of making this measurement. These new capabilities could be extended to 2.5 MeV deuterium-deuterium neutrons from D plasmas and to even lower yield by reducing the detector standoff distance to 10 cm; a design for this is also presented.

  1. 1995 - 14Ā MeV neutron spectra measurements with 4% energy resolution using a type IIa diamond detector [Crossref]
  2. 2003 - CVD diamond as a high bandwidth neutron detector for inertial confinement fusion diagnostics [Crossref]
  3. 2024 - Determination of the response for the national ignition facility particle time of flight (PTOF) detector using single particle counting [Crossref]