Neutron production from interactions of high-intensity ultrashort pulse laser with a planar deuterated polyethylene target

The deuteron acceleration from a planar uniform deuterated polyethylene (CD2) target was studied with a two-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell method in the ultrarelativistic regime for peak laser intensities between 1023 and 1025W∕m2. Under identical conditions the deuteron energy and angular distributions are very different when compared to that produced from a double-layer target. The neutron production from D(d,n)–He3 nuclear fusion reactions was also investigated with a three-dimensional Monte Carlo ion beam-target deposition model. The neutron yield and its angular distribution were studied as a function of peak laser intensity and laser pulse duration. A neutron yield of 104–106neutronsperJoule laser energy is inferred from simulations of a 4 μm thick planar uniform CD2 target. The angular scattering of neutrons is found to be nonisotropic and has a significant component in the forward (laser propagation) direction.