Prof. Markus Roth Profile

Prof. Markus Roth

at Technische Univ Darmstadt

SPIE Involvement:

Author

Proceedings Article | 8 June 2023 Presentation

Demonstration of nondestructive material characterization at a laser-based neutron source

Marc Zimmer, Markus Roth, Stefan Scheuren, Tim Jäger, Gabriel Schaumann, Jonas Kohl

Proceedings Volume PC12583, PC1258304 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2665715

KEYWORDS: Nondestructive evaluation, Material characterization, Laser systems engineering, Spectroscopy, Radiography, Laser applications, Photonics, Liquids, Lead, Laser spectroscopy

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Compact laser-based neutron sources have attracted great interest in the last years due to a growing field of applications. Neutrons interact via the nuclear force which results in relatively large penetration depths and isotope specific interaction cross-sections. This can be used to identify the isotopic composition of samples. This allows applications like the inspection of cargo containers for fissile material or explosives as well as the tracing of artifacts to their geological origin. While conventional neutron sources such as reactors and spallation sources are large in size, expensive and produce strong background radiation with large pulse widths, it is more desirable to have compact neutron sources with short pulse lengths which require less shielding. Laser-based neutron sources can fill this gap in the near future when modern high repetition rate laser systems can be used. In addition, the short neutron pulse length in the order of one nanosecond facilitates new applications such as neutron resonance spectroscopy and neutron resonance imaging. Here, we present recent results from experimental campaigns at the PHELIX laser system at the GSI Darmstadt. In the experiment, protons and deuterons have been accelerated from thin foils up to 50 MeV. These ions were converted by nuclear reactions inside a catcher material into 10^10 neutrons per shot which were subsequently moderated down into the eV regime. With this epithermal neutron beam, it was possible to identify several isotopes inside a 2.7 mm thick sample using neutron resonance spectroscopy. In addition, laser-driven thermal neutron radiography was applied for measuring the thickness of indium cadmium plates behind a lead shielding. Also, the first demonstration of neutron resonance radiography will be presented. I will further give an outlook for future applications that will be enabled by high repetition rate laser systems and liquid leaf targets. Laser-based neutron sources will be developed and applied at the international center for nuclear photonics at the TU Darmstadt in close cooperation with their industrial partner Focused Energy GmbH.

Proceedings Article | 17 September 2019 Presentation

Recent developments and future applications for laser-driven neutron sources (Conference Presentation)

Markus Roth, Tammy Ma, Stephen Payne

Proceedings Volume 11114, 111140I (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2530170

KEYWORDS: Laser applications, Pulsed laser operation, Ions, Laser systems engineering, Nondestructive evaluation, Sensors, Safety, Laser energy, Femtosecond phenomena, Transparency

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One of the pressing demands in our western society is the safety and maintenance of our nuclear legacy. In Germany the dismantling, safe processing and storage of nuclear waste have resulted in a multi-national research program. One of the findings was that nondestructive testing methods and material selective imaging of compound large objects is possible using thermal and fast neutrons. They also identified that a powerful, safe, and compact neutron source would be required. Since the advent of ultra-intense lasers many applications have been investigated using the unique parameter of laser-driven secondary sources. Recently, we have demonstrated the realization of a short-pulse laser- driven neutron source with beam intensities orders of magnitude above earlier attempts. Those sources can lead to a compact and potentially mobile neutron source with a large number of applications. The neutron source is based on a so-called pitcher-catcher approach, where a short burst of energetic, laser-driven deuteron ions are converted into a short pulse of neutrons in a subsequent converter material. Here, in addition to neutron conversion via (d,n) reactions the breakup of energetic deuterons and a non-thermal pre-compound reaction in the converter material result in a directed beam of neutrons and an increase in neutron numbers compared to earlier attempts. The neutron record number so far were produced using high-contrast, high-energy short pulse lasers of a few hundred femtosecond pulse duration and invoking relativistic transparency in solids as a new ion acceleration mechanism. I will present the underlying mechanism of creating an intense pulsed and highly directed beam of neutrons using ultra-intense lasers and the recent experimental results using laser systems in the US and in Europe. Furthermore, I will focus on a few examples of using such sources for applications that are either important for the security of our countries or will have large economical potential in industrial applications. These range from the remote sensing of illicit nuclear material in cargo to the non-destructive analysis of large civil constructions using compact laser systems. The initial ion pulse that is converted into neutrons is of only a few picosecond duration and thus the neutron burst is generated with sub-nanosecond pulse length. This allows for precise energy resolution of the neutrons using time-of flight techniques. As the ion acceleration is of only a few millimeter in length, replacing ten's to hundred's of meter of conventional acceleration length the source is extremely compact. As the ion beams are extremely intense and do not suffer from space charge deterioration the fast neutron source is capable of point projection imaging with an initial source size of around a millimeter. As the pulse duration is short, high energy resolution can be achieved at a much reduced time-of-flight length offering more compact systems. As future laser systems largely increase not only peak power, but also already offer repetition rates up the kHz applications in research and industry become visible. To fully take advantage of those new sources new detector systems should keep up with enhanced spatial and temporal resolution. Also they need to withstand the unavoidable x-ray flash and electro-magnetic pulse originating from the laser plasma interaction. We have started to explore novel detectors and tested them at high-energy short pulse laser systems for fast and thermal neutron beams.

Proceedings Article | 9 June 2017 Presentation

Laser-based fast-neutron spectroscopy (Conference Presentation)

Annika Kleinschmidt, Victor Schanz, Alexandra Tebartz, Juan Carlos Fernández, Donald Gautier, Randall Philip Johnson, Tsutomu Shimada, Glen Anthony Wurden, Markus Roth, Ishay Pomerantz, Itay Kishon

Proceedings Volume 10240, 1024008 (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2264955

KEYWORDS: Spectroscopy, Beryllium, Laser spectroscopy, Sensors, Radiography, Electromagnetism, Laser-matter interactions, Scintillators, Silicon, Optical fibers

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Proceedings Article | 6 December 2006 Paper

New PW stretcher-compressor design for PHELIX laser

A. Tauschwitz, T. Merz, S. Borneis, T. Hahn, H. Heuck, E. Gaul, D. Ursescu, B. Zielbauer, S. Kunzer, R. Thiel, C. Bruske, D. Reemts, Th. Kühl, D. Javorkova, E. Brambrink, P. Neumayer, S. Götte, F. Schrader, M. Roth, P. Wiewior

Proceedings Volume 5945, 59451C (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.638979

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Optical amplifiers, Spherical lenses, Pulsed laser operation, Diffraction gratings, Laser systems engineering, Dispersion, Tolerancing, Fusion energy, Laser development

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Proceedings Article | 21 December 2001 Paper

Intense ion beams accelerated by relativistic laser plasmas

Abel Blazevic, Theodor Schlegel, Matthew Allen, S. Karsch, Patrick Audebert, Thomas Cowan, Jurgen Meyer-ter-Vehn, Manuel Hegelich, Julien Fuchs, Matthias Geissel, Markus Roth, Alexander Pukhov, Jean-Claude Gauthier

Proceedings Volume 4510, (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.451281

KEYWORDS: Plasmas, Ion beams, Gold, Ions, Glasses, Collimation, Target detection, Picosecond phenomena, Spectrometers, Solids

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Proceedings Article | 23 April 2001 Paper

Intense ion beams accelerated by petawatt-class lasers

Steven Hatchett, Thomas Sangster, Scott Wilks, Richard Snavely, Thomas Phillips, Mark Stoyer, Michael Perry, Michael Key, Curtis Brown, K. Yasuike, Markus Roth, Mike Singh, Thomas Cowan, Deanna Pennington, W. Fountain, J. Johnson

Proceedings Volume 4424, (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.425658

KEYWORDS: Electrons, Fusion energy, Ions, Particles, Plasmas, Ion beams, Spectrometers, Sensors, Pulsed laser operation, Beam shaping

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Proceedings Article | 23 April 2001 Open Access

PHELIX: a petawatt high-energy laser for heavy ion experiments

K. Poppensieker, C. Haefner, Thomas Kuehl, Herbert Brandt, Stefan Borneis, Roland Sauerbrey, E. Dewald, M. Roth, Grant Logan, Paul Neumayer, Ingo Will, Wolfgang Sandner, A. Tauschwitz, H.-J. Kluge, Ferenc Krausz, Irene Reinhard, M. Perry, D. Hoffmann, R. Bock, Peter Nickles, C. Bruske, Dieter Marx, John Caird, Bruno Becker-de Mos, Mikhail Kalachnikov

Proceedings Volume 4424, (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.425559

KEYWORDS: Ions, Plasma, Pulsed laser operation, Fusion energy, Ion beams, Optical amplifiers, Laser systems engineering, Laser energy, Ion lasers, Laser development

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Proceedings Article | 23 April 2001 Paper

X-ray spectroscopy of laser-heated CF2-foils

P. Pirzadeh, M. Roth, W. Suess, Frank Rosmej, Anatoly Faenov, D. Hoffmann, A. Tauschwitz, R. Bock, O. Rosmej, Wolfgang Seelig, Matthias Geissel, Tatiana Pikuz

Proceedings Volume 4424, (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.425649

KEYWORDS: Ions, Plasma, X-rays, Laser spectroscopy, Spectroscopy, Ion beams, X-ray lasers, Collimation, Spectrometers, Mica

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Proceedings Article | 23 July 1999 Paper

High-energy laser system for HIF research at GSI

Matthias Geissel, S. Stoewe, Grant Logan, Michael Perry, D. Hoffmann, Christian Stoeckl, U. Funk, Wolfgang Seelig, R. Bock, Peter Nickles, Jurgen Meyer-ter-Vehn, Thomas Kuehl, W. Suess, M. Roth

Proceedings Volume 3492, (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.354205

KEYWORDS: Plasma, Fusion energy, Ions, Laser systems engineering, Ion beams, Plasma generation, Amplifiers, Laser energy, Lead, Plasma physics

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Showing 5 of 9 publications

Conference Committee Involvement (2)

Medical Applications of Laser-Generated Beams of Particles II: Review of Progress Made in Recent Years

18 April 2013 | Prague, Czech Republic

Medical Applications of Laser-Generated Secondary Sources of Radiation and Particles

20 April 2011 | Prague, Czech Republic

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