Platform development toward ultra-intense laser-based simultaneous hard x-ray and MeV neutron multimodal radiography

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Materials Science
• Engineering

Background:

• Ultra-intense short-pulse lasers generate bright secondary radiation sources.
• Laser-driven sources offer short pulse durations, small source sizes, and high peak flux.
• These characteristics are attractive for multimodal imaging applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a concept for simultaneous single line-of-sight multimodal imaging using laser-driven MeV neutrons and X-rays.
• To demonstrate the capability of this technique for material segmentation and identification.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing laser-driven simultaneous MeV neutrons and X-rays for radiography.
• Employing two simple optically coupled scintillators for detection.
• Exploring different shielding thicknesses to enhance image contrast for material segmentation.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated simultaneous X-ray and MeV neutron imaging of multi-material objects.
• Synthetic radiographs showed successful resolution of both high-Z and low-Z material features.
• Contrasting images enabled effective multi-material segmentation.

Conclusions:

• The proposed concept enables simultaneous multimodal imaging with laser-driven sources.
• This approach provides unique advantages for material segmentation and identification.
• The technique is suitable for existing and near-term laser facilities.