Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Nuclear fusion is a potential source of carbon-free electricity with many concepts in development. The Portable and Adaptable Neutron Diagnostics for Advancing Fusion Energy Science (PANDA-FES) suite has been deployed since 2021 to measure neutron yield, energy, and spatiotemporal source location at two different Z-pinch fusion devices. This diagnostic can be used at a variety of facilities pursuing fusion in the magnetic, inertial, and magneto-inertial regimes. These different regimes have a wide range of time scales from less than 100 ns to a few$\mu$s, neutron yields from 10$^6$to 10$^{11}$, and noise environments. Neutron yield is measured through activation of$^{79}$Br and$^{89}$Y with calibrated detectors. Temporal, spatial, and energy dependence of neutrons is measured with scintillators coupled to photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). Experimental setups and data analysis methods have been developed for these conditions. Neutron yield, neutron energy anisotropy, and spatiotemporal evolution of the source have been measured.
Institutions: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, General Atomics (United States), University of California San Diego, Magneto-Inertial Fusion Technologies (United States), Zap Energy Inc. (United States), University of Washington
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4396909907