laser plasma neutron source with ultrashort pulse duration

Laser-plasma-accelerator-based photonuclear neutronsources have ultrashort beam durations. However, accurate measurement of the neutron energy spectra withhigh resolution requires investigation.

In this study, a laser-driven ultrashort neutron source was combined withsingle-neutron-counting time-of-flight technology to precisely measure energy spectra. This method resultedin a neutron source with a of 2.18-ns duration, a neutron yield of 1.63(±0.39) × 106 per shot, and an energyresolution of 7% at 0.5 MeV with a 5 m flight distance. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the stability of the neutron spectrum distribution and the feasibility of the method were demonstrated.