High flux, beamed neutron sources employing deuteron-rich ion beams from D2O-ice layered targets

A forwardly-peaked bright neutron source was produced using a laser-driven, deuteron-rich ion beam in a pitcher-catcher scenario. A proton-free ion source was produced via target normal sheath acceleration from Au foils having a thin layer of D2O ice at the rear side, irradiated by sub-petawatt laser pulses (~200 J, ~750 fs) at peak intensity . The neutrons were preferentially produced in a beam of ~70? FWHM cone along the ion beam forward direction, with maximum energy up to ~40 MeV and a peak flux along the axis for neutron energy above 2.5 MeV. The experimental data is in good agreement with the simulations carried out for the d(d,n)3He reaction using the deuteron beam produced by the ice-layered target.