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Platform development for dE/dx measurements on short-pulse laser facilities

We illustrate generating benchmark data on charged-particle stopping power in dense plasma is a challenge, motivating new experimental platforms for facilities such as short-pulse lasers. We report on several experiments that aimed to develop a platform for high-precision stopping power measurements at OMEGA EP, specifically developing target-normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) sources, proton isochoric heating, and radiatively heated foams. Integrated experiments were performed to measure stopping power, but several phenomena have been identified that would need to be mitigated for a stopping-power measurement, including irreproducibility of the TNSA sources, spurious electromagnetic fields around proton-heated targets, and cross-talk between the source and subject targets. This work provides a basis for potential future work towards mitigating these problems and performing stopping-power measurements, and is also valuable data for general understanding of TNSA and proton isochoric heating experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Second Report of the Nuclear Data Subcommittee of the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee

The central importance of the nuclear data curated by the US Nuclear Data Program (USNDP) for clean energy generation, national security, nonproliferation, medical applications, and space exploration as well as basic science was described in a prior report issued by the DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee subcommittee on Nuclear Data (NSAC-ND) in September 2022. In this report, we present a set of fourteen (14) recommendations that will enhance and advance DOE-NP's stewardship of nuclear data. The first three recommendations focus on the existing core USNDP capabilities, namely: 1) Support the nuclear structure evaluation workforce to improve the currency, consistency, and accessibility of the Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File (ENSDF); 2) Enhance nuclear reaction evaluation within the USNDP in support of the Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF) through expansion of the workforce and integration of high-performance computing, automation, and machine learning and; 3) Continue atomic mass evaluation in support AME and NUBASE databases. This is followed by eight (8) recommendations representing new cross-cutting initiatives involving both measurement and evaluation to address outstanding nuclear data needs. These new initiatives require a highly trained, diverse workforce that includes personnel with expertise from both inside and outside the nuclear physics community from which evaluators have traditionally been recruited. As such, many of these initiatives are accomplished via a Topical Nuclear Data Collaborations (TNDC). A TNDC is made up of domestic and international stakeholders, subject matter and nuclear data experts, and nuclear data evaluators and features a workforce development plan to ensure that nuclear data evaluators maintain currency in the relevant applications and are seen as equity partners in the endeavor. These include: 1) Establish a coordinated effort to improve evaluation and modeling in nuclear astrophysics for stellar dynamics, multi-messenger astronomy and nucleosynthesis; 2) Initiate a TNDC to develop and maintain nuclear structure evaluation beyond discrete states, including nuclear level densities, photon strength functions and photonuclear data for improved reaction modeling, and exploring nuclear structure at finite temperature; 3) Create a TNDC to perform correlated fission data evaluation, including cross sections, fragment yields, v(A), v(E n ) for nuclear energy, national security, nonproliferation and basic science; 4) From a panel of subject matter experts to establish and annually update a roster of key decay data to nurture its accelerated dissemination including both measurement and evaluation for targeted high-value nuclides for national security, nonproliferation and medical applications; 5) Comprehensive, consistent neutron-induced structure and reaction data for nuclear energy, national security, nonproliferation and planetary nuclear spectroscopy; 6) Charged-particle stopping powers for detector design, space effects and ion beam therapy; 7) High-energy reactions for space exploration and medical nuclide production, and; 8) The creation of an infrastructure for open data and data preservation for use by the entire nuclear physics community. All told, these initiatives require approximately $6.5M increase in NP support of the USNDP in fiscal year 2023 dollars and would require at least 3-5 years to carry out due to the length of time needed to recruit and train new nuclear data researchers. This relatively modest investment would help ensure that the fruits of the nuclear data research carried out by DOE-NP and its collaborators would be brought to bear to address some of the most important needs of our nation and the world. To ensure effective execution of this plan, we present an overview of recruitment, training, and retention goals for the USNDP, the centerpiece of which is a mutually agreed upon code of conduct. Finally, we identify the facility and instrumentation needed to perform the recommended experimental activities. This includes a short review of target fabrication capabilities, reactors, neutron beam, light- and heavy-stable ion, gamma-ray, high-energy and radioactive ion beam facilities. Lastly, a more complete appendix of experimental facilities previously compiled is included with new input provided for 6 facilities.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

First measurement of the 10B(α,n)13N reaction in an inertial confinement fusion implosion at the National Ignition Facility: Initial steps toward the development of a radiochemistry mix diagnostic

We report the first measurement of the 10B(α,n)13N reaction in a polar-direct-drive exploding pusher (PDXP) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This work is motivated by the need to develop alternative mix diagnostics, radiochemistry being the focus here. The target is composed of a 65/35 at. % deuterium–tritium (DT) fill surrounded by a roughly 30 μm thick beryllium ablator. The inner portion of the beryllium ablator is doped with 10 at. % of 10B. Radiation-hydrodynamics calculations were performed in 1D to optimize both the remaining boron rho-R and the DT neutron yield. A charged-particle transport post-processor has been developed to study α-induced reactions on the ablator material. Results indicate a large 13N production from α-induced reactions on 10B, measurable by the radiochemical analysis of a gaseous samples system at the NIF. The PDXP target N201115-001 was successfully fielded on the NIF, and nitrogen from the 10B(α,n)13N reaction was measured. The 13N production yield, as well as the DT neutron yield, was, however, lower than expected. Some of the reduced yields can be explained by the oblate shape, but the ratios of the various radiochemical signals are not commensurate with expectations based on a simple reduction of the 1D results. Preliminary 2D radiation-hydrodynamics computations are consistent with the experimental measurements, and work is ongoing to extend the radiochemistry analysis into higher dimensions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Review of the first charged-particle transport coefficient comparison workshop

We present the results of the first Charged-Particle Transport Coefficient Code Comparison Workshop, which was held in Albuquerque, NM October 4–6, 2016. In this first workshop, scientists from eight institutions and four countries gathered to compare calculations of transport coefficients including thermal and electrical conduction, electron–ion coupling, inter-ion diffusion, ion viscosity, and charged particle stopping powers. In this paper, we give general background on Coulomb coupling and computational expense, review where some transport coefficients appear in hydrodynamic equations, and present the submitted data. Large variations are found when either the relevant Coulomb coupling parameter is large or computational expense causes difficulties. Understanding the general accuracy and uncertainty associated with such transport coefficients is important for quantifying errors in hydrodynamic simulations of inertial confinement fusion and high-energy density experiments.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Verification of a Monte Carlo binary collision model for simulating elastic and inelastic collisions in particle-in-cell simulations

We present the development and verification of a Monte Carlo binary collision model for simulating elastic and inelastic collisions in particle-in-cell simulations. We apply the corrected binary collision model originally developed for charged-particles collisions to all considered scattering channels, including Coulomb collisions, elastic neutral–neutral and charged–neutral collisions, ionization, excitation, and fusion. The model's implementation is described and verified through a series of simulations, including charged- and neutral-particle thermal equilibration, slowing of electrons in warm solid-density aluminum, collisional damping of a Langmuir wave, helium gas breakdown in an applied electric field, and thermonuclear and beam–target fusion. Then, we demonstrate the model within simulations of hydrogen plasma formation in the Princeton Field-Reversed Configuration as well as of the burning of aneutronic fusion fuel p-11B. The latter includes measurement of the fusion power density in a low-density plasma and fusion production due to the stopping of a proton ignitor beam in a compressed boron target.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Review of the second charged-particle transport coefficient code comparison workshop

We report the results of the second charged-particle transport coefficient code comparison workshop, which was held in Livermore, California on 24–27 July 2023. This workshop gathered theoretical, computational, and experimental scientists to assess the state of computational and experimental techniques for understanding charged-particle transport coefficients relevant to high-energy-density plasma science. Data for electronic and ionic transport coefficients, namely, the direct current electrical conductivity, electron thermal conductivity, ion shear viscosity, and ion thermal conductivity were computed and compared for multiple plasma conditions. Additional comparisons were carried out for electron–ion properties such as the electron–ion equilibration time and alpha particle stopping power. Overall, 39 participants submitted calculated results from 18 independent approaches, spanning methods from parameterized semi-empirical models to time-dependent density functional theory. In the cases studied here, we find significant differences—several orders of magnitude—between approaches, particularly at lower temperatures, and smaller differences—roughly a factor of five—among first-principles models. We investigate the origins of these differences through comparisons of underlying predictions of ionic and electronic structure. The results of this workshop help to identify plasma conditions where computationally inexpensive approaches are accurate, where computationally expensive models are required, and where experimental measurements will have high impact.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗