Vulnerability of CMOS image sensors in megajoule class laser harsh environment

CMOS image sensors (CIS) are promising candidates as part of optical imagers for the plasma diagnostics devoted to the study of fusion by inertial confinement. However, the harsh radiative environment of Megajoule Class Lasers threatens the performances of these optical sensors. In this paper, the vulnerability of CIS to the transient and mixed pulsed radiation environment associated with such facilities is investigated during an experiment at the OMEGA facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), Rochester, NY, USA. The transient and permanent effects of the 14 MeV neutron pulse on CIS are presented. The behavior of the tested CIS shows that active pixel sensors (APS) exhibit a better hardness to this harsh environment than a CCD. A first order extrapolation of the reported results to the higher level of radiation expected for Megajoule Class Laser facilities (Laser Megajoule in France or National Ignition Facility in the USA) shows that temporarily saturated pixels due to transient neutron-induced single event effects will be the major issue for the development of radiation-tolerant plasma diagnostic instruments whereas the permanent degradation of the CIS related to displacement damage or total ionizing dose effects could be reduced by applying well known mitigation techniques

Hardening approach to use CMOS image sensors for fusion by inertial confinement diagnostics

A hardening method is proposed to enable the use of CMOS image sensors for Fusion by Inertial Confinement Diagnostics. The mitigation technique improves their radiation tolerance using a reset mode implemented in the device. The results obtained evidence a reduction of more than 70% in the number of transient white pixels induced in the pixel array by the mixed neutron and γ-ray pulsed radiation environment

Phosphosilicate Multimode Optical Fiber for Sensing and Diagnostics at Inertial Confinement Fusion Facilities

We characterized the radiation response in the visible domain of a new multimode graded-index (GI) phosphosilicate optical fiber (GIMMF), exposed to the harsh environment (pulses of 14-MeV neutrons, X-rays, and γ -rays) associated with laser experiments at the OMEGA facility. The growth of permanent radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) was measured in situ after a series of laser shots involving a large production of 14-MeV neutrons (yields > 10^14 n per shot). RIA linearly increases with accumulated neutron fluence without recovery between shots. The obtained results allow a precise evaluation of this GIMMF vulnerability when implemented as part of laser or plasma diagnostics. Our work also reveals the potential of this class of optical fiber to serve as a radiation monitor in the radiation-rich mixed environments of megajoule class laser facilities and to provide a very fast and online estimation of the accumulated deposited dose at various locations of their experimental halls. In our experimental test configuration at OMEGA, 14-MeV neutrons are estimated to contribute to about 55% of the total deposited dose on the fibers, and the other optical losses are related to X-ray and γ -ray contributions. Those measurements could be, for example, benchmarked to the radiation maps obtained by Monte Carlo simulation tools, potentially facilitating the evaluation of the aging of diagnostics, components, and systems as well as their maintenance operations

Heat Flux Measurement in Shock Heated Combustible Gases and Clarification of Ignition Delay Time

Correct understanding of the ignition and combustion processes in the combustion chambers are critical for modeling advanced schemes of engines of high-speed aircraft and promising spacecraft. Moreover, experimental data on the ignition delay time are a universal basis for the development and testing of combustion kinetic models. Moreover, the higher the temperature of the fuel mixture, the smaller this time value and the more important its correct determination. The use of a thermoelectric detector allows to measure ignition delay times and record heat fluxes with a high time resolution (to tenths of μs) during ignition in propane–air mixtures. Due to the faster response time, the use of it allows refining the ignition delay time of the combustible mixture, and the detector itself can serve as a useful device that allows a more detailed study of the ignition processes

Phosphosilicate Multimode Optical Fiber for Sensing and Diagnostics at Inertial Confinement Fusion Facilities

International audienc

Phosphosilicate Multimode Optical Fiber for Sensing and Diagnostics at Inertial Confinement Fusion Facilities

International audienc

Anomalous yield reduction in direct-drive DT implosions due to 3He addition

Glass capsules were imploded in direct drive on the OMEGA laser [T. R. Boehly et aI., Opt. Commun. 133, 495, 1997] to look for anomalous degradation in deuterium/tritium (DT) yield (i.e., beyond what is predicted) and changes in reaction history with {sup 3}He addition. Such anomalies have previously been reported for D/{sup 3}He plasmas, but had not yet been investigated for DT/{sup 3}He. Anomalies such as these provide fertile ground for furthering our physics understanding of ICF implosions and capsule performance. A relatively short laser pulse (600 ps) was used to provide some degree of temporal separation between shock and compression yield components for analysis. Anomalous degradation in the compression component of yield was observed, consistent with the 'factor of two' degradation previously reported by MIT at a 50% {sup 3}He atom fraction in D{sub 2} using plastic capsules [Rygg et aI., Phys. Plasmas 13, 052702 (2006)]. However, clean calculations (i.e., no fuel-shell mixing) predict the shock component of yield quite well, contrary to the result reported by MIT, but consistent with LANL results in D{sub 2}/{sup 3}He [Wilson, et aI., lml Phys: Conf Series 112, 022015 (2008)]. X-ray imaging suggests less-than-predicted compression ofcapsules containing {sup 3}He. Leading candidate explanations are poorly understood Equation-of-State (EOS) for gas mixtures, and unanticipated particle pressure variation with increasing {sup 3}He addition