First measurement of the $^{10}{\rm B}(\alpha,n)^{13}{\rm N}$ reaction in an inertial confinement fusion implosion at the National Ignition Facility: Initial steps toward the development of a radiochemistry mix diagnostic

TL;DR

This paper reports the first measurement of the $^{10}{ m B}( ext{alpha},n)^{13}{ m N}$ reaction in an inertial confinement fusion implosion at NIF, aiming to develop radiochemistry-based mix diagnostics for fusion experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel radiochemistry diagnostic method using boron doping to measure alpha-induced reactions in fusion implosions, supported by experimental and computational analysis.

Findings

Successful measurement of $^{13}{ m N}$ production in NIF implosion

Lower than expected $^{13}{ m N}$ and neutron yields observed

Preliminary 2D simulations align with experimental results

Abstract

We report the first measurement of the $^{10}{\rm B}(\alpha,n)^{13}{\rm N}$ reaction in a polar-direct-drive exploding pusher (PDXP) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This work is motivated by the need to develop alternative mix diagnostics, radiochemistry being the focus here. The target is composed of a $65/35\,\rm at.\,\%$ deuterium-tritium (DT) fill surrounded by a roughly $30\,\mu\rm m$ thick beryllium ablator. The inner portion of the beryllium ablator is doped with $10\,\rm at.\,\%$ of $^{10}{\rm B}$. Radiation-hydrodynamics calculations were performed in 1D to optimize both the remaining boron rho-R and the DT neutron yield. A charged-particle transport post-processor has been developed to study $\alpha$-induced reactions on the ablator material. Results indicate a large $^{13}{\rm N}$ production from $\alpha$-induced reactions on $^{10}{\rm B}$, measurable by the radiochemical analysis of gaseous samples system at the NIF. The PDXP target N201115-001 was successfully fielded on the NIF, and nitrogen from the $^{10}{\rm B}(\alpha,n)^{13}{\rm N}$ reaction was measured. The $^{13}{\rm N}$ production yield, as well as the DT neutron yield, was, however, lower than expected. Some of the reduced yields can be explained by the oblate shape, but the ratios of the various radiochemical signals are not commensurate with expectations based on a simple reduction of the 1D results. Preliminary 2D radiation-hydrodynamics computations are consistent with the experimental measurements, and work is ongoing to extend the radiochemistry analysis into higher dimensions.