Nuclear science experiments with a bright neutron source from fusion reactions on the OMEGA Laser System

Abstract Subnanosecond impulses of 1 0 13 to 1 0 14 neutrons, produced in direct-drive laser inertial confinement fusion implosions, have been used to irradiate deuterated targets at the OMEGA Laser System (Boehly et al., 1997). The target compounds include heavy water (D 2 O) and deuterated benzene (C 6 D 6 ). Yields and energy spectra of neutrons from D(n,2n)p to study the breakup reaction have been measured at a forward angle of θ lab = 3 . 5 ∘ ± 3 .5° with a sensitive, high-dynamic-range neutron time-of-flight spectrometer to infer the double-differential breakup cross section d 2 σ /d E d Ω for 14-MeV D–T fusion neutrons.