Generation of deuteron beams from laser-driven thin foils for neutron radiography

Thin deuterated plastic foils have been used in medium-scale laser facilities, such as the TRIDENT and PHELIX laser facilities, for production of deuteron beams which are ultimately used for neutron generation. Here we produced deuteron beams from CD sub-micron thin films using a 0.5kJ sub-ps laser at the Omega-EP laser facility. Deuteron yield is estimated to be ~5e+12 d/shot and ~ 2.3e+13 d/sr for a foil target of thickness ~700-800nm. We will compare our results with deuteron beams from other experiments using thicker films or foam targets, as well as neutron generation from such beams based on the pitcher-catcher scheme and from other alternative concepts for neutron radiography applications.