Measuring x-ray burn history with the Streaked Polar Instrumentation for Diagnosing Energetic Radiation (SPIDER) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

Abstract

We present a new diagnostic for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [1,2]. The Streaked Polar Instrumentation for Diagnosing Energetic Radiation (SPIDER) is an x-ray streak camera for use on almost-igniting targets, up to ~10 . The features of the design are a heavily shielded instrument enclosure outside the target chamber, remote location of the neutron and EMP sensitive components, a precise laser pulse comb fiducial timing system and fast streaking electronics. SPIDER has been characterized for sweep linearity, dynamic range, temporal and spatial resolution. Preliminary DT implosion data shows the functionality of the instrument and provides an illustration of the method of burn history extraction.

Development of a krypton-doped gas symmetry capsule platform for x-ray spectroscopy of implosion cores on the NIF

“…Further, standard x-ray imaging with pinholes onto the gated framing cameras provided time-resolved hot-spot shape and low-mode shape swings, 22,23 while image plates recorded differentially filtered images for shape and a coarse T e from x-ray emission. 24,25 X-ray bang time and burnwidth was provided by the SPIDER (Streaked Polar Instrumentation for Diagnosing Energetic Radiation), 26 while the Wedge Range Filters (WRF) 27 gave an independent measure of total ρR along two lines of sight. A suite of neutron time-of-flight (NTOF) diagnostics 28,29 provided nuclear metrics of DD yield and ion temperature (T ion ), and a particle-time-of-flight (PTOF) 30 gave a DD-compression bangtime.…”

Simulations of indirectly driven gas-filled capsules at the National Ignition Facility

“…Capsule x-ray bang times 30,31 were $22.55 6 0.10 ns, all within 100 ps. We will focus upon capsule performance metrics of DT, DD, TT neutron yield, [32][33][34] neutron time-of-flight measurements 35 of ion temperature 36 and down-scatter ratio (DSR), temporal burn width from x-rays 37 or DT gammas, 38,39 and x-ray 40 and neutron image size and shape. 41 DSR is the ratio of neutrons in the 10-12 MeV energy range to those in the 13-15 MeV range, and is diagnostic of fuel column density.…”

Characterization of the x-ray sensitivity of a streak camera used at the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

“…A DC bias voltage was applied to the deflector plates (see ref. [4]) in order to separate the signal from the x-rays that pass through the photocathode and interact directly with the micro channel plate.…”

“…A streak camera, called Streaked Polar Instrumentation for Diagnosing Energetic Radiation (SPIDER), is capable of measuring the temporal flux of emitted x-rays from 7keV to 40keV with a temporal resolution and accuracy of σ < 20ps [4]. This instrument has primarily been employed to report the bang time, or time of peak emission, as well as the burn duration from the hot core of imploding DT capsules near peak compression.…”