Title :
High-power, pulsed bremsstrahlung source for inducing photofission
Author :
Hinshelwood, David D. ; Allen, R.J. ; Apruzese, J.P. ; Commisso, R.J. ; Cooperstein, G. ; Jackson, S.L. ; Mosher, D. ; Murphy, D.P. ; Ottinger, P.F. ; Schumer, J.W. ; Swanekamp, S.B. ; Weber, B.V. ; Young, F.C. ; Zier, J.C. ; Hunt, A.W. ; Larsen, Z.M. ; C
Author_Institution :
Plasma Phys. Div., Naval Res. Lab., Washington, DC, USA
Abstract :
This paper describes the use of intense, pulsed bremsstrahlung for inducing photofission in fissionable material. 8-MV bremsstrahlung triggers photofission in depleted uranium (DU). Particle-in-cell and Monte-Carlo codes model the source, gamma and neutron production and transport, and detector response. A variety of detectors have been fielded successfully to measure fission in DU from delayed-neutron, delayed-gamma, and prompt-neutron signals. This work represents the first clean measurement of prompt photofission neutrons in an intense, pulsed-power environment.
Keywords :
Monte Carlo methods; bremsstrahlung; fission of uranium; gamma-ray production; neutron detection; neutron production; photofission; Monte-Carlo code model; delayed-gamma signals; delayed-neutron signals; depleted uranium analysis; detector response; fissionable material; gamma production; high-power pulsed bremsstrahlung source; intense pulsed bremsstrahlung; intense pulsed-power environment; neutron production; neutron transport response; particle-in-cell code model; prompt photofission neutron measurement; prompt-neutron signals; voltage 8 MV; Anodes; Lead; Neutrons; Photonics; Predictive models; Time measurement;
Conference_Titel :
Pulsed Power Conference (PPC), 2011 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Chicago, IL
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4577-0629-5
DOI :
10.1109/PPC.2011.6191658
