TY - JOUR
T1 - Ammonia borane-based targets for new developments in laser-driven proton boron fusion
AU - Picciotto, Antonino
AU - Valt, Matteo
AU - Molloy, Daniel P.
AU - Gaiardo, Andrea
AU - Milani, Alessandro
AU - Kantarelou, Vasiliki
AU - Giuffrida, Lorenzo
AU - Nersisyan, Gagik
AU - McNamee, Aaron
AU - Kennedy, Jonathan P.
AU - Fitzpatrick, Colm R.J.
AU - Martin, Philip
AU - Orecchia, Davide
AU - Maffini, Alessandro
AU - Scauso, Pietro
AU - Vanzetti, Lia
AU - Turcu, Ion Cristian Edmond
AU - Ferrario, Lorenza
AU - Hall-Wilton, Richard
AU - Margarone, Daniele
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2024/11/1
Y1 - 2024/11/1
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Ammonia-borane
KW - Laser-driven fusion
KW - Laser-plasma
KW - Nuclear targets
KW - Proton boron fusion
U2 - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2024.160797
DO - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2024.160797
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85200012202
SN - 0169-4332
VL - 672
JO - Applied Surface Science
JF - Applied Surface Science
M1 - 160797
ER -