Platform development toward ultra-intense laser-based simultaneous hard x-ray and MeV neutron multimodal radiography

Abstract

Ultra-intense short-pulse lasers interacting with matter are capable of generating exceptionally bright secondary radiation sources. The short pulse duration (picoseconds to nanoseconds), small source size (sub-mm), and comparable high peak flux to conventional single particle sources make them an attractive source for radiography using a combination of particle species, known as multimodal imaging. Simultaneous x-ray and MeV neutron imaging of multi-material objects can yield unique advantages for material segmentation and identification within the full sample. Here, we present a concept for simultaneous single line-of-sight multimodal imaging using laser-driven simultaneous MeV neutrons and x rays. Radiography is performed using two simple optically coupled scintillators. Different shielding thicknesses are explored to demonstrate contrasting images that enable multi-material segmentation. Synthetic combined x-ray and neutron radiographs demonstrate the ability to resolve both the high-Z and low-Z material features within a test object for realistic x-ray and neutron spectra and flux ratios at existing and near-term laser facilities.