Engineering topics

Ping, Y. (ORCID:0000000248799072)

Publications and source records attributed to Ping, Y. (ORCID:0000000248799072).

9 records

DOE OSTI2025

Effect of self-generated magnetic fields on x-ray emission in Kr-filled targets at the National Ignition Facility

We examine the effects of self-generated magnetic fields in a Kr gas pipe x-ray source platform. X-ray emission from Kr plasma is dependent on the plasma conditions, as the ionization state is largely a function of temperature. Magnetic fields are known to limit heat conduction, which increases temperature. We show that the emission in simulations of the gas pipe x-ray source is dependent on how self-generated magnetic fields are modeled. The inclusion of self-generated magnetic fields in simulations more accurately captures the emission of lower energy x-ray emission (L-shell), bringing results closer to experiments. The modeled x-ray emission and self-generated magnetic fields are shown to be particularly sensitive to the inclusion of the Nernst effect in simulations. Severely limiting the Nernst effect leads to a hotter Kr plasma, which can account for the discrepancy seen in earlier studies. By modifying the Nernst effect multiplier, we can achieve better experimental agreement in x-ray emission from gas pipes; the value of the multiplier that leads to the best agreement is dependent on the laser power of the drive. Currently, the suppression factor of the Nernst effect needed for high power drives (PL>200 TW) is more restrictive than what is currently put forward by non-local models.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Spatiotemporal dynamics of fast electron heating in solid-density matter via XFEL

Abstract High-intensity, short-pulse lasers are crucial for generating energetic electrons that produce high-energy-density (HED) states in matter, offering potential applications in igniting dense fusion fuels for fast ignition laser fusion. High-density targets heated by these electrons exhibit spatially non-uniform and highly transient conditions, which have been challenging to characterize due to limitations in diagnostics that provide simultaneous high spatial and temporal resolution. Here, we employ an X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) to achieve spatiotemporally resolved measurements at sub-micron and femtosecond scales on a solid-density copper foil heated by laser-driven fast electrons. Our X-ray transmission imaging reveals the formation of a solid-density hot plasma localized to the laser spot size, surrounded by Fermi degenerate, warm dense matter within a picosecond, and the energy relaxation occurring within the hot plasma over tens of picoseconds. These results validate 2D particle-in-cell simulations incorporating atomic processes and provide insights into the energy transfer mechanisms beyond current simulation capabilities. This work significantly advances our understanding of rapid fast electron heating and energy relaxation in solid-density matter, serving as a key stepping stone towards efficient high-density plasma heating and furthering the fields of HED science and inertial fusion energy research using intense, short-pulse lasers.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Phase retrieval for refraction-enhanced x-ray radiography using a deep neural network

X-ray refraction-enhanced radiography (RER) or phase contrast imaging is widely used to study internal discontinuities within materials. The resulting radiograph captures both the decrease in intensity caused by material absorption along the x-ray path, as well as the phase shift, which is highly sensitive to gradients in density. A significant challenge lies in effectively analyzing the radiographs to decouple the intensity and phase information and accurately ascertain the density profile. Conventional algorithms often yield ambiguous and unrealistic results due to difficulties in including physical constraints and other relevant information. We have developed an algorithm that uses a deep neural network to address these issues and applied it to extract the detailed density profile from an experimental RER. To generalize the applicability of our algorithm, we have developed a technique that quantitatively evaluates the complexity of the phase retrieval process based on the characteristics of the sample and the configuration of the experiment. Accordingly, this evaluation aids in the selection of the neural network architecture for each specific case. Beyond RER, the model has potential applications for other diagnostics where phase retrieval analysis is required.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

A review on charged-particle transport modeling for laser direct-drive fusion

Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) with the laser-indirect-drive scheme has recently made a tremendous breakthrough recently after decades of intensive research effort. Taking this success to the next step, the ICF community is coming to a general consensus that laser direct-drive (LDD) fusion might be the viable way for enabling inertial fusion energy (IFE) and high-gain targets for other applications. Designing and understanding LDD fusion targets heavily rely on radiation-hydrodynamic code simulations, in which charged-particle transport plays an essential role in modeling laser-target energy coupling and bootstrap heating of fusion-produced α-particles. To better simulate charged-particle transport in LDD targets, over the past four decades the plasma physics community has advanced transport calculations from simple plasma physics models to sophisticated computations based on first-principles methods. In this review, we give an overview of the current status of charged-particle transport modeling for LDD fusion, including what challenges we still face and the possible paths moving forward to advance transport modeling for ICF simulations. We hope this review will provide a summary of exciting challenges to stimulate young minds to enter the field, facilitate further progress in understanding warm-dense matter physics, and ultimately bridge toward the success of reliable LDD fusion designs for IFE and other high-gain ICF applications.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Parametrized ion-distribution model for extended x-ray absorption fine-structure analysis at high-energy-density conditions

Experiments today can compress solids near isentropically to pressures approaching 100 × 106 atmospheres; however, determining the temperature of such matter remains a major challenge. Extended x-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy is one of the few techniques sensitive to the bulk temperature of highly compressed solid matter, and the validity of this temperature measurement relies on constraining the local ion structure from the EXAFS spectrum. At high-energy-density (HED) conditions, the local ion structure often becomes distorted, which must be accounted for during the EXAFS analysis. Described here is a technique, using a parametrized ion-distribution model to directly analyze EXAFS spectra that provides a better constraint on the local structure than traditional second- or third-order cumulant expansion techniques at HED conditions. The parametrized ion-distribution model is benchmarked by analyzing EXAFS spectra from nickel molecular-dynamics simulations at ∼100 GPa and shown to provide a 10%–20% improvement in constraining the cumulants of the true ion distribution.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Extended X-ray absorption fine structure of dynamically-compressed copper up to 1 terapascal

Abstract Large laser facilities have recently enabled material characterization at the pressures of Earth and Super-Earth cores. However, the temperature of the compressed materials has been largely unknown, or solely relied on models and simulations, due to lack of diagnostics under these challenging conditions. Here, we report on temperature, density, pressure, and local structure of copper determined from extended x-ray absorption fine structure and velocimetry up to 1 Terapascal. These results nearly double the highest pressure at which extended x-ray absorption fine structure has been reported in any material. In this work, the copper temperature is unexpectedly found to be much higher than predicted when adjacent to diamond layer(s), demonstrating the important influence of the sample environment on the thermal state of materials; this effect may introduce additional temperature uncertainties in some previous experiments using diamond and provides new guidance for future experimental design.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Thermal transport in warm dense matter revealed by refraction-enhanced x-ray radiography with a deep-neural-network analysis

Abstract Transport properties of high energy density matter affect the evolution of many systems, ranging from the geodynamo in the Earth’s core, to hydrodynamic instability growth in inertial confinement fusion capsules. Large uncertainties of these properties are present in the warm dense matter regime where both plasma models and condensed matter models become invalid. To overcome this limit, we devise an experimental platform based on x-ray differential heating and time-resolved refraction-enhanced radiography coupled to a deep neural network. We retrieve the first measurement of thermal conductivity of CH and Be in the warm dense matter regime and compare our measurement with the most commonly adopted models. The discrepancies observed are related to the estimation of a correction term from electron-electron collisions. The results necessitate improvement of transport models in the warm dense matter regime and could impact the understanding of the implosion performance for inertial confinement fusion.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2022

X-ray source characterization and sample heating on x-ray diffraction experiments at the National Ignition Facility

X-ray diffraction is a powerful measurement technique for determining material properties, and it is now possible to perform these experiments at pressures exceeding 1 TPa [Rygg et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 91, 043902 (2020)] at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The x-ray source for these experiments is the quasi-monochromatic Heα emission from metal foils heated to multi-keV temperatures. A critical aspect for understanding the sample's thermodynamic state is the amount of heating caused by absorption of the probe x-rays. In this work, we characterize the performance of the Ge foil x-ray source over more than 60 NIF x-ray diffraction experiments. We use this information to constrain the level of diffraction sample heating from the x-ray source and discuss the impact on the thermodynamic state.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Emission phases of implosion sources for x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy

At the Laboratory for Laser Energetics' Omega Laser Facility, thin plastic shells were directly driven with ∼20 kJ resulting in a time-integrated x-ray yield of ∼1012 ph/eV/sr at 7 keV. Using temporally, spatially, and spectrally discriminating diagnostics, three x-ray emission phases were identified: corona emission produced by the laser ablation of the shell, core stagnation, and afterglow emission due to the expanding hot material after stagnation. The newly measured corona and afterglow emission phases account for ∼25% of the total x-ray signal and produce x-ray emission at a different time or larger radius than previously considered. The resulting implications of this additional emission for x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy are discussed. Finally, improvements to the laser drive intensity and uniformity produced a factor-of-2 increase in total x-ray emission while decreasing the size of the stagnated core.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗