Ammonia borane-based targets for new developments in laser-driven proton boron fusion

Antonino Picciotto*, Matteo Valt, Daniel P. Molloy, Andrea Gaiardo, Alessandro Milani, Vasiliki Kantarelou, Lorenzo Giuffrida, Gagik Nersisyan, Aaron McNamee, Jonathan P. Kennedy, Colm R.J. Fitzpatrick, Philip Martin, Davide Orecchia, Alessandro Maffini, Pietro Scauso, Lia Vanzetti, Ion Cristian Edmond Turcu, Lorenza Ferrario, Richard Hall-Wilton, Daniele Margarone

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Nuclear fusion reactions involving protons and boron-11 nuclei are sparking increasing interest thanks to advancements in high-intensity, short-pulse laser technology. This type of reaction holds potential for a wide array of applications, from controlled nuclear fusion to radiobiology and cancer therapy. In line with this motivation, solid ammonia borane samples were developed as target material for proton-boron (pB) nuclear fusion. Following synthesis and shaping, these samples were tested for the first time in a laser-plasma pB fusion experiment. An investigation campaign focusing on surface chemical/physical analysis was carried out to characterize such samples in terms of composition of B and H, precursors of the pB fusion nuclear reaction, thus having a key impact on the yield of the generated nuclear products, i.e., alpha particles. A follow-up experiment used an 8 J, 800 fs laser pulse with an intensity of 2 × 1019 W cm−2 to irradiate the targets, generating ∼ 108 alpha particles per steradian. The alpha particle energy range (2–6 MeV) and normalized yield per laser energy of up to (6 × 107 J/sr) are comparable with the best previous alpha particle yields found in literature. These results pave the way for a yet unexplored category of pB fusion targets.

Original languageEnglish
Article number160797
JournalApplied Surface Science
Volume672
Early online date30 Jul 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Nov 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

  • Ammonia-borane
  • Laser-driven fusion
  • Laser-plasma
  • Nuclear targets
  • Proton boron fusion

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Surfaces and Interfaces
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films

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