Overview of the LANL Laser-Produced Multi-Probe Radiography Project

Future radiographic facilities for the US defense program will be required to provide more information as simulation codes improve in both physics’ fidelity and resolution. A possible approach is to use more types of probe beams in addition to, or instead of x rays generated by 20-MeV electron accelerators from a small number of directions. High power short-pulse laser systems can generate beams of protons, neutrons, and electrons, as well as x rays. The cost of these systems is falling rapidly, so it can be imagined that deploying multiple short-pulse lasers along with other, more traditional probes, will become feasible. In this project, we are following three paths to determine if such an approach will succeed for cm-scale objects. The first is an experimental one to determine if the presence of multiple short-pulse probes cause interference with each other, especially while radiographing dynamic objects. The second leg of this project is to determine if having multiple types of probes really does give more information on composition. Finally, an overall assessment of the viability of this approach will be made. Examples from recent experiments at the Omega EP laser will be presented. The initial approach to evaluating radiographs with multiple probes using the Bayesian Inference Engine (BIE) will also be given.