Extended performance gas Cherenkov detector for gamma-ray detection in high-energy density experiments

H W Herrmann; Y H Kim; C S Young; V E Fatherley; F E Lopez; J A Oertel; R M Malone; M S Rubery; C J Horsfield; W Stoeffl; A B Zylstra; W T Shmayda; S H Batha

doi:10.1063/1.4892553

Extended performance gas Cherenkov detector for gamma-ray detection in high-energy density experiments

Rev Sci Instrum. 2014 Nov;85(11):11E124. doi: 10.1063/1.4892553.

Authors

H W Herrmann¹, Y H Kim¹, C S Young¹, V E Fatherley¹, F E Lopez¹, J A Oertel¹, R M Malone², M S Rubery³, C J Horsfield³, W Stoeffl⁴, A B Zylstra⁵, W T Shmayda⁶, S H Batha¹

Affiliations

¹ Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
² National Security Technologies, LLC, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544, USA.
³ Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, Berkshire RG7 4PR, United Kingdom.
⁴ Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA.
⁵ Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
⁶ Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.

PMID: 25430303
DOI: 10.1063/1.4892553

Abstract

A new Gas Cherenkov Detector (GCD) with low-energy threshold and high sensitivity, currently known as Super GCD (or GCD-3 at OMEGA), is being developed for use at the OMEGA Laser Facility and the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Super GCD is designed to be pressurized to ≤400 psi (absolute) and uses all metal seals to allow the use of fluorinated gases inside the target chamber. This will allow the gamma energy threshold to be run as low at 1.8 MeV with 400 psi (absolute) of C2F6, opening up a new portion of the gamma ray spectrum. Super GCD operating at 20 cm from TCC will be ∼400 × more efficient at detecting DT fusion gammas at 16.7 MeV than the Gamma Reaction History diagnostic at NIF (GRH-6m) when operated at their minimum thresholds.