Implementation of scattering pinhole diagnostic for detection of fusion products on CR-39 at high particle fluence
Name
898332836-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
5.91 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
c2f72725a78aca70bf03b547b19f8381
Author(s)
Orozco, David, S.B. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Advisor(s)
Richard Petrasso.
Date Issued
2014
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Many Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) experiments use solid-state nuclear track detector CR-39 as a means to detect different types of nuclear products. Until recently, it was difficult to use CR-39 in experiments with very high yields because particle tracks would overlap. A scattering pinhole has been implemented in order to reduce the fluence on the CR-39. This paper details the design and implementation of a scattering pinhole to detect protons born from D3He nuclear reactions: D +3 He = p+(14.7MeV) + [alpha](3.7MeV). To do so, basic models relating the scattering angle to material thickness and atomic number were developed. The scattering pinhole reduced the fluence on the CR-39 enough to successfully count all the tracks and calculate a product yield. A proton yield of 2.25e10 t 0.17e10 was calculated and falls within half a standard deviation of the proton yield found with the Wedge Range Filter (WRF) spectrometer, the value being 2.19e10. The image on the CR-39 was predicted to be s = 0.957mm t 0.092mm. This correlates with measured size [sigma] = 0.873mm, supporting the validity of the models. To further explore the nuclear this nuclear reaction, the design challenges for detecting 3.7MeV alpha particles was also explored.
Description
Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, 2014.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 35-36).
Subjects
Physics.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
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