Neutron energy spectrum measurements from MagLIF implosions on Z

The stagnation column generated in Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) experiments performed on the Z machine generates neutrons for a duration of ~1-2 ns before rapidly disassembling. Measurements from neutron time of flight (nTOF) detectors, therefore, no longer represent a direct neutron energy spectrum measurement as the signal is a combination of neutron energy and the nuclear reaction history. A CR-39 based Compact Recoil Spectrometer (CRS) was recently commissioned on Z and has measured the time integrated neutron energy spectrum from MagLIF experiments for the first time. It will be shown that simultaneous fits of measured CRS and nTOF data provides a more complete understanding of the neutron energy spectrum from MagLIF implosions.

Sandia National Laboratory is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525.