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Electron tubes continue to provide the highest speeds possible for recording dynamics of hot high-energy density plasmas. Standard streak camera drive electronics and CCD readout are not compatible with the radiation environment associated with high DT fusion yield inertial confinement fusion experiments >1013 14 MeV DT neutrons or >109 n cm−2 ns−1. We describe a hardened x-ray streak camera developed for the National Ignition Facility and present preliminary results from the first experiment on which it has participated, recording the time-resolved bremsstrahlung spectrum from the core of an inertial confinement fusion implosion at more than 40× the operational neutron yield limit of the previous National Ignition Facility x-ray streak cameras.

Lawrence Livermore’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) requires a radiation tolerant video camera to remotely monitor varied activities in and around the NIF target chamber. Our present suite of monitor cameras must be either, removed during high yield shots, requiring substantial resources or left in place which greatly reduces their life expectancy. Our goal was to develop a relatively inexpensive, radiation tolerant monitor camera which could be left in place during high yield laser experiments yet continue to give quality data for up to (5) years of operation or about 250 high yield shots. The camera was built around the CMOSIS CMV 2000 / 4000 sensor. Camera components were chosen based on their radiation tolerant performance at the Cobham radiation test facility in CO Springs. The prototype camera was tested both at Cobham and on the NIF during high yield shots. We will present test results as well as predictions for camera life expectancy.

The Crystal Backlighter Imager (CBI) is a quasi-monochromatic, near-normal incidence, spherically bent crystal imager developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), which will allow inertial confinement fusion capsule implosions to be radiographed close to stagnation. This is not possible using the standard pinhole-based area-backlighter configuration, as the self-emission from the capsule hotspot overwhelms the backlighter signal in the final stages of the implosion. The CBI mitigates the broadband self-emission from the capsule hot spot by using the extremely narrow bandwidth inherent to near-normal-incidence Bragg diffraction. Implementing a backlighter system based on near-normal reflection in the NIF chamber presents unique challenges, requiring the CBI to adopt novel engineering and operational strategies. The CBI currently operates with an 11.6 keV backlighter, making it the highest energy radiography diagnostic based on spherically bent crystals to date. For a given velocity, Doppler shift is proportional to the emitted photon energy. At 11.6 keV, the ablation velocity of the backlighter plasma results in a Doppler shift that is significant compared to the bandwidth of the instrument and the width of the atomic line, requiring that the shift be measured to high accuracy and the optics aligned accordingly to compensate. Experiments will be presented that used the CBI itself to measure the backlighter Doppler shift to an accuracy of better than 1 eV. These experiments also measured the spatial resolution of CBI radiographs at 7.0 μm, close to theoretical predictions. Finally, results will be presented from an experiment in which the CBI radiographed a capsule implosion driven by a 1 MJ NIF laser pulse, demonstrating a significant (>100) improvement in the backlighter to self-emission ratio compared to the pinhole-based area-backlighter configuration.

The single-line-of-sight, time-resolved x-ray imager (SLOS-TRXI) on OMEGA is one of a new generation of fast-gated x-ray cameras comprising an electron pulse-dilation imager and a nanosecond-gated, burst-mode, hybrid complementary metal-oxide semiconductor sensor. SLOS-TRXI images the core of imploded cryogenic deuterium–tritium shells in inertial confinement fusion experiments in the ∼4- to 9-keV photon energy range with a pinhole imager onto a photocathode. The diagnostic is mounted on a fixed port almost perpendicular to a 16-channel, framing-camera–based, time-resolved Kirkpatrick–Baez microscope, providing a second time-gated line of sight for hot-spot imaging on OMEGA. SLOS-TRXI achieves ∼40-ps temporal resolution and better than 10-μm spatial resolution. Shots with neutron yields of up to 1 × 1014 were taken without observed neutron-induced background signal. The implosion images from SLOS-TRXI show the evolution of the stagnating core.

Crystal x-ray imaging is frequently used in inertial confinement fusion and laser-plasma interaction applications as it has advantages compared to pinhole imaging, such as higher signal throughput, better achievable spatial resolution, and chromatic selection. However, currently used x-ray detectors are only able to obtain a single time resolved image per crystal. The dilation aided single-line-of-sight x-ray camera described here was designed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and combines two recent diagnostic developments, the pulse dilation principle used in the dilation x-ray imager and a ns-scale multi-frame camera that uses a hold and readout circuit for each pixel. This enables multiple images to be taken from a single-line-of-sight with high spatial and temporal resolution. At the moment, the instrument can record two single-line-of-sight images with spatial and temporal resolution of 35 μm and down to 35 ps, respectively, with a planned upgrade doubling the number of images to four. Here we present the dilation aided single-line-of-sight camera for the NIF, including the x-ray characterization measurements obtained at the COMET laser, as well as the results from the initial timing shot on the NIF.

A new configuration based on the recent off-line calibrations of the gated laser entrance hole diagnostic on the National Ignition Facility provides 4-8 interleaved frames per experiment using the standard two frame sensor settings. Since its implementation, the new design has greatly increased the data return for hundreds of experiments at the National Ignition Facility. The large quantity of images from a variety of physics campaigns has revealed information on plasma evolution in hohlraums.

At the National Ignition Facility, new designs for x-ray diagnostics and ICF targets place high energy density capacitors in the harsh radiation environment of the target chamber. In these applications, dielectric breakdown would be catastrophic. This study considers the behavior of three dielectric types in a prompt-dose radiation environment; aluminum electrolytic, multilayer ceramic, and metalized polypropylene. The experiments exposed the capacitors with a flash x-ray machine and measured the internal discharge from shot-to-shot for a range of doses. From the results, the thinner aluminum electrolytic dielectrics internally discharged less than the thicker ones. The results from the flash x-ray source were compared to a limited set of data taken in NIF’s neutron test-well. The aluminum electrolytic and metalized polypropylene capacitors did not fail while biased at their rated voltage during eight shots in NIF, mostly between 1e9 n/cm 2 and 4e9 n/cm 2 .

In inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF), measurements of average ion temperature using DT neutron time of flight broadening and of DD neutrons do not show the same apparent temperature. Some of this may be due to time and space dependent temperature profiles in the imploding capsule which are not taken into account in the analysis. As such, we are attempting to measure the electron temperature by recording the free-free electron-ion scattering-spectrum from the tail of the Maxwellian temperature distribution. This will be accomplished with the new NIF Continuum Spectrometer (ConSpec) which spans the x-ray range of 20 keV to 30 keV (where any opacity corrections from the remaining mass of the ablator shell are negligible) and will be sensitive to temperatures between ∼ 3 keV and 6 keV. The optical design of the ConSpec is designed to be adaptable to an x-ray streak camera to record time resolved free-free electron continuum spectra for direct measurement of the dT/dt evolution across the burn width of a DT plasma. The spectrometer is a conically bent Bragg crystal in a focusing geometry that allows for the dispersion plane to be perpendicular to the spectrometer axis. Additionally, to address the spatial temperature dependence, both time integrated and time resolved pinhole and penumbral imaging will be provided along the same polar angle. The optical and mechanical design of the instrument is presented along with estimates for the dispersion, solid angle, photometric sensitivity, and performance.

X-ray penumbral imaging has been successfully fielded on a variety of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsule implosion experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). We have demonstrated sub-5 μm resolution imaging of stagnated plasma cores (hot spots) at x-ray energies from 6 to 30 keV. These measurements are crucial for improving our understanding of the hot deuterium-tritium fuel assembly, which can be affected by various mechanisms, including complex 3-D perturbations caused by the support tent, fill tube or capsule surface roughness. Here we present the progress on several approaches to improve x-ray penumbral imaging experiments on the NIF. We will discuss experimental setups that include penumbral imaging from multiple lines-of-sight, target mounted penumbral apertures and variably filtered penumbral images. Such setups will improve the signal-to-noise ratio and the spatial imaging resolution, with the goal of enabling spatially resolved measurements of the hot spot electron temperature and material mix in ICF implosions.

The goal of this paper is to outline the process for characterizing the S-parameters of passive two-port electrical devices to calculate the input signal from a measured output signal when standard two-port VNA measurements are not possible. For long cables such as those used at NIF to transmit analog electrical signals long distances from target diagnostics to their respective data digitizer, standard two-port VNA measurements cannot be used to determine the cables’ transfer functions due to the large physical separations between the ports of the cables. Traditionally, this problem was addressed by recording input and output waveforms with two oscilloscopes and then comparing their spectral composition. A new method is to take reflection measurements at one port and substitute three known loads at the other port to generate a system of simultaneous equations that will allow for S21 to be quantified.

The National Ignition Facility’s (NIF) harsh radiation environment can cause electronics to malfunction during high-yield DT shots. Until now there has been little experience fielding electronic-based cameras in the target chamber under these conditions; hence, the performance of electronic components in NIF’s radiation environment was unknown. It is possible to purchase radiation tolerant devices, however, they are usually qualified for radiation environments different to NIF, such as space flight or nuclear reactors. This paper presents the results from a series of online experiments that used two different prototype camera systems built from non-radiation hardened components and one commercially available camera that permanently failed at relatively low total integrated dose. The custom design built in Livermore endured a 5 × 1015 neutron shot without upset, while the other custom design upset at 2 × 1014 neutrons. These results agreed with offline testing done with a flash x-ray source and a 14 MeV neutron source, which suggested a methodology for developing and qualifying electronic systems for NIF. Further work will likely lead to the use of embedded electronic systems in the target chamber during high-yield shots.

A dual-channel streaked soft x-ray imager has been designed and used on high energy-density physics experiments at the National Ignition Facility. This streaked imager creates two images of the same x-ray source using two slit apertures and a single shallow angle reflection from a nickel mirror. Thin filters are used to create narrow band pass images at 510 eV and 360 eV. When measuring a Planckian spectrum, the brightness ratio of the two images can be translated into a color-temperature, provided that the spectral sensitivity of the two images is well known. To reduce uncertainty and remove spectral features in the streak camera photocathode from this photon energy range, a thin 100 nm CsI on 50 nm Al streak camera photocathode was implemented. Provided that the spectral shape is well-known, then uncertainties on the spectral sensitivity limits the accuracy of the temperature measurement to approximately 4.5% at 100 eV.

Compton radiography provides a means to measure the integrity, ρR and symmetry of the DT fuel in an inertial confinement fusion implosion near peak compression. Upcoming experiments at the National Ignition Facility will use the ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) laser to drive backlighter sources for Compton radiography experiments and will use the newly commissioned AXIS (ARC X-ray Imaging System) instrument as the detector. AXIS uses a dual-MCP (micro-channel plate) to provide gating and high DQE at the 40–200 keV x-ray range required for Compton radiography, but introduces many effects that contribute to the spatial resolution. Experiments were performed at energies relevant to Compton radiography to begin characterization of the spatial resolution of the AXIS diagnostic.

We report simulations and experiments that demonstrate an increase in spatial resolution of the NIF core diagnostic x-ray streak cameras by at least a factor of two, especially off axis. A design was achieved by using a corrector electron optic to flatten the field curvature at the detector plane and corroborated by measurement. In addition, particle in cell simulations were performed to identify the regions in the streak camera that contribute the most to space charge blurring. These simulations provide a tool for convolving synthetic pre-shot spectra with the instrument function so signal levels can be set to maximize dynamic range for the relevant part of the streak record.

Current two-dimensional X-ray imaging at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) uses time resolved pinhole cameras with ∼10-25 μm pinholes. This method has limitations in the smallest resolvable features that can be imaged with reasonable photon statistics for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) applications. ICF sources have a broadband self-emission spectrum that causes the pinhole images obtained, through thin foil filters, to contain a similarly broadband spectrum complicating the interpretation of structure in the source. In order to study phenomena on the scale of ∼5 μm, such as dopant mix in the ICF capsule, a narrow energy band, higher spatial resolution microscope system with improved signal/noise has been developed using X-ray optics. Utilizing grazing incidence mirrors in a Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope (KBM) configuration [P. Kirkpatrick and A. V. Baez, J. Opt. Soc. Am. 38, 766–774 (1948)], an X-ray microscope has been designed and fielded on NIF with four imaging channels. The KBM has ∼12 × magnification

© 2016 Author(s). We have designed and fabricated a structured streak camera photocathode to provide enhanced efficiency for high energy X-rays (1-12 keV). This gold coated photocathode was tested in a Diagnosing Energetic Radiation with streak camera and compared side by side against a conventional flat thin film photocathode. Results show that the measured electron yield enhancement at energies ranging from 1 to 10 keV scales well with predictions, and that the total enhancement can be more than 3×. The spatial resolution of the streak camera does not show degradation in the structured region. We predict that the temporal resolution of the detector will also not be affected as it is currently dominated by the slit width. This demonstration with Au motivates exploration of comparable enhancements with CsI and may revolutionize X-ray streak camera photocathode design.

This paper covers the preliminary design of a radiation tolerant nanosecond-gated multi-frame CMOS camera system for use in the NIF. Electrical component performance data from 14 MeV neutron and cobalt 60 radiation testing will be discussed. The recent development of nanosecond-gated multi-frame hybrid-CMOS (hCMOS) focal plane arrays by the Ultrafast X-ray Imaging (UXI) group at Sandia National Lab has generated a need for custom camera electronics to operate in the pulsed radiation environment of the NIF target chamber. Design requirements and performance data for the prototype camera system will be discussed. The design and testing approach for the radiation tolerant camera system will be covered along with the evaluation of commercial off the shelf (COTS) electronic component such as FPGAs, voltage regulators, ADCs, DACs, optical transceivers, and other electronic components. Performance changes from radiation exposure on select components will be discussed. Integration considerations for x-ray imaging diagnostics on the NIF will also be covered.

We present a characterization technique for nanosecond gated CMOS cameras designed and built by Sandia National Laboratory under their Ultra-Fast X-ray Imager program. The cameras have been used to record images during HED physics experiments at Sandia’s Z Facility and at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility. The behavior of the camera’s fast shutters was not expected to be ideal since they propagate over a large pixel array of 25 mm x 12 mm, which could result in shutter timing skew, variations in the FWHM, and variations in the shutter’s peak response. Consequently, a detailed characterization of the camera at the pixel level was critical for interpreting the images. Assuming the pixel’s photo-response was linear, the shutter profiles for each pixel were simplified to a pair of sigmoid functions using standard non-linear fitting methods to make the subsequent analysis less computationally intensive. A pixel-level characterization of a ”Furi” camera showed frame-to-frame gain variations that could be normalized with a gain mask and significant timing skew at the sensor’s center column that could not be corrected. The shutter profiles for Furi were then convolved with data generated from computational models to forward fit images collected with the camera.

A new Wolter x-ray imager has been developed for the Z machine to study the emission of warm (>15 keV) x-ray sources. A Wolter optic has been adapted from observational astronomy and medical imaging, which uses curved x-ray mirrors to form a 2D image of a source with 5 × 5 × 5 mm3 field-of-view and measured 60-300-μm resolution on-axis. The mirrors consist of a multilayer that create a narrow bandpass around the Mo Kα lines at 17.5 keV. We provide an overview of the instrument design and measured imaging performance. In addition, we present the first data from the instrument of a Mo wire array z-pinch on the Z machine, demonstrating improvements in spatial resolution and a 350-4100× increase in the signal over previous pinhole imaging techniques.

The need for a time-resolved monochromatic x-ray imaging diagnostic at photon energies >15 keV has motivated the development of a Wolter optic to study x-ray sources on the Z-machine at Sandia National Laboratories. The work is performed in both the LLNL’s x-ray calibration facility and SNL’s micro-focus x-ray lab. Characterizations and calibrations include alignment, measurement of throughput within the field of view (FOV), the point-spread function within the FOV both in and out of focus, and bandpass in the FOV. These results are compared with ray tracing models, showing reasonable agreement.

Recent breakthroughs in the fabrication of small-radii Wolter optics for astrophysics allow high energy density facilities to consider such optics as novel x-ray diagnostics at photon energies of 15-50 keV. Recently, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center jointly developed and fabricated the first custom Wolter microscope for implementation in SNL’s Z machine with optimized sensitivity at 17.5 keV. To achieve spatial resolution of order 100-200 microns over a field of view of 5 × 5 × 5 mm3 with high throughput and narrow energy bandpass, the geometry of the optic and its multilayer required careful design and optimization. While the geometry mainly influences resolution and the field of view of the diagnostic, the mirror coating determines the spectral response and throughput. Here we outline the details of the design and fabrication process for the first multilayer-coated Wolter I optic for SNL’s Z machine (Z Wolter), including its W/Si multilayer, and present results of raytrace simulations completed to predict and verify the performance of the optic.

A new generation of fast-gated x-ray framing cameras have been developed that are capable of capturing multiple frames along a single line-of-sight with 30 ps temporal resolution. The instruments are constructed by integrating pulse-dilation electron imaging with burst mode hybrid-complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor sensors. Two such instruments have been developed, characterized, and fielded at the National Ignition Facility and the OMEGA laser. These instruments are particularly suited for advanced x-ray imaging applications in Inertial Confinement Fusion and High energy density experiments. Here, we discuss the system architecture and the techniques required for tuning the instruments to achieve optimal performance. Characterization results are also presented along with planned future improvements to the design.

A facility to calibrate x-ray imaging optics was built at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to support high energy density (HED) and inertial confinement fusion (ICF) diagnostics such as those at the National Ignition Facility and the Sandia Z-Machine. Calibration of the spectral reflectivity and resolution of these x-ray diagnostics enable absolute determination of the x-ray flux and wavelengths generated in the HED and ICF experiments. Measurement of the optic point spread function is used to determine spatial resolution of the optic. This facility was constructed to measure (1) the x-ray reflectivity to ±5% over a spectral range from 5 to 60 keV; (2) point spread functions with a resolution of 50 μm (currently) and 13 μm (future) in the image plane; and (3) optic distance relative to the x-ray source and detector to within ±100 μm in each dimension. This article describes the capabilities of the calibration facility, concept of operations, and initial data from selected x-ray optics.

At the National Ignition Facility (NIF), storage phosphor image plates (IP) are used extensively for recording x-rays, charged particles, and neutrons. For x-ray imaging and spectroscopy, absolute and relative calibrations are important for extracting plasma information from the diagnostics. We use Fuji MS, SR, and TR image plates that have been cut to fit custom diagnostic envelopes. The image plates are scanned on a General Electric FLA 7000 IP flying spot scanner. Calibrations for sensitivity, spatial scale, and temperature dependent fade are applied. During a set of recent calibrations, we noticed large shifts in the absolute calibration of the image plate system. The possible source of these shifts is discussed. We discuss scanner stability and a method for calibration. We discuss the fade and temperature effects of the image plates and how this correction is applied within the NIF environment. We also compare our NIF GE FLA 7000 IP scanner with a new General Electric Amersham Typhoon IP scanner.

Supra-thermal (>100 keV) electrons generated by laser plasma interactions can be detrimental to the performance of ignition experiments conducted on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). On a NIF shot, the amount of electrons is estimated by measuring the hard X-rays passing through the hohlraum wall. The primary sources of hot electrons in a hohlraum are Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) and two plasmon decay (TPD). While SRS is well diagnosed on the NIF, there has been no diagnosis of TPD. We have designed and implemented a new diagnostic to characterize the time history of TPD on the NIF. The instrument provides a time resolved measurement of the 3/2 ω harmonic emission which is indicative of the presence of TPD. We describe the diagnostic setup, calibration, and the preliminary results obtained on NIF hohlraum experiments. We find evidence of a correlation between measured hard X-rays generated from the hot electron bremsstrahlung and the TPD emission.

We are developing an automated system for the simultaneous, rapid detection of a group of select agents and toxins in the environment. To detect toxins, we modified and automated an antibody-based approach previously developed for manual medical diagnostics that uses fluorescent eTag reporter molecules and is suitable for highly multiplexed assays. Detection is based on two antibodies binding simultaneously to a single antigen, one of which is labeled with biotin while the other is conjugated to a fluorescent eTag through a cleavable linkage. Aqueous samples are incubated with the mixture of antibodies along with streptavidin-coated magnetic beads and a photoactive porphyrin complex. In the presence of antigen, a molecular complex is formed where the cleavable linkage is held in proximity to the photoactive group. Upon excitation at 680 nm, free radicals are generated, which diffuse and cleave the linkage, releasing the eTags. Released eTags are analyzed using capillary gel electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection. Limits of detection for ovalbumin and botulinum toxoid individually were 4 (or 80 pg) and 16 ng/mL (or 320 pg), respectively, using the manual assay. In addition, we demonstrated the use of pairs of antibodies from different sources in a single assay to decrease the rate of false positives. Automation of the assay was demonstrated in a flow-through format with higher LODs of 32 ng/mL (or 640 ng) each of a mixture of ovalbumin and botulinum toxoid. This versatile assay can be easily modified with the appropriate antibodies to detect a wide range of toxins and other proteins.

Gated x-ray images through the laser entrance hole (LEH) of a hohlraum can provide critical information for ICF experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), such as the size of the LEH vs time, the growth of the gold bubble 1 , and the change in the brightness of inner beam spots due to time-varying cross beam energy transfer 2 . Incorporating a high-speed multi-frame CMOS x-ray imager developed by Sandia National Laboratories 3,4 into the existing Static X-ray Imager (SXI) diagnostic5 at NIF, the new Gated LEH Imager #1 (G-LEH-1) diagnostic is capable of capturing two to four LEH images per shot on its 1024x448 pixel photo detector array, with integration times as low as 2 ns per frame. The design of this diagnostic and its implementation on NIF will be presented.

We present new designs for the launch and receiver boards used in a high speed x-ray framing camera at the National Ignition Facility. The new launch board uses a Klopfenstein taper to match the 50 ohm input impedance to the ~10 ohm microchannel plate. The new receiver board incorporates design changes resulting in an output monitor pulse shape that more accurately represents the pulse shape at the input and across the microchannel plate; this is valuable for assessing and monitoring the electrical performance of the assembled framing camera head. The launch and receiver boards maximize power coupling to the microchannel plate, minimize cross talk between channels, and minimize reflections. We discuss some of the design tradeoffs we explored, and present modeling results and measured performance. We also present our methods for dealing with the non-ideal behavior of coupling capacitors and terminating resistors. We compare the performance of these new designs to that of some earlier designs.

Geometrically enhanced photocathodes are currently being developed for use in applications that seek to improve detector efficiency in the visible to X-ray ranges. Various photocathode surface geometries are typically chosen based on the detector operational wavelength region, along with requirements such as spatial resolution, temporal resolution and dynamic range. Recently, a structure has been identified for possible use in the X-ray region. This anisotropic high aspect ratio structure has been produced in silicon using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching technology. The process is specifically developed with respect to the pattern density and geometry of the photocathode chip to achieve the desired sidewall profile angle. The tapered sidewall profile angle precision has been demonstrated to be within ± 2.5° for a ~ 12° wall angle, with feature sizes that range between 4-9 μm in diameter and 10-25 μm depth. Here we discuss the device applications, design and present the method used to produce a set of geometrically enhanced high yield X-ray photocathodes in silicon.

This paper covers a systems engineering analysis of existing scope-based Target Diagnostics (TD) on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), for the purpose of selecting a standard digitizer architecture future diagnostics. Key performance criteria and a summary of test results are presented. Currently of the 60+ Target Diagnostics, at least fifteen use a type of high speed electrical signal data read-out device leading to over 200 digitization channels spread over six types of CRT and digital oscilloscopes, each with multiple models and versions. The proposed standard architecture discussed in this paper allows the NIF to efficiently and reliably operate digitizers that meet the required performance metrics for the lifetime of the NIF. The systems engineering analysis identifies key stakeholders for multiple subsets of scope-based diagnostics including but not limited to the nToFs (neutron Time of Flight), DANTE a broadband, time-resolved x-ray spectrometer, SPBT (South Pole Bang Time), GRH (Gamma Reaction History), and FFLEX (Filter Fluorescer Diagnostic). From these stakeholders, key performance metrics are derived and feed into test and evaluation criteria for different digitizers and architectures.

The 3ω scattered light polarimetry diagnostic in the 30° incidence cone backscatter diagnostic at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is being upgraded to measure the full time-resolved Stokes vector. Previously, the diagnostic had a single channel capable of diagnosing the time-integrated balance of the horizontal and vertical polarizations. Two additional channels were added – one that measures the balance of the 45° and 135° projections, and another that measures the right- and left-circular polarizations – and together the three complete the Stokes vector measurement. A division-of-aperture scheme is employed in which three nearby portions of the near field are sampled simultaneously. Time resolution is obtained by relaying an image of the measured regions onto a set of fibers coupled to diodes. The new diagnostic will be capable of measuring scattered light signals

The National Ignition Facility is under construction at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy Stockpile Stewardship Program. Optical streak cameras are an integral part of the experimental diagnostics instrumentation. To accurately reduce data from the streak cameras a temporal calibration is required. This article describes a technique for generating trains of precisely timed short-duration optical pulses that are suitable for temporal calibrations.

The National Ignition Facility is operational at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The inertial confinement fusion and HED programs at LLNL have formed diagnostic research and development groups to institute improvements outside the charter of core diagnostics. We will present data from instrumentation being developed. A major portion of our work is improvements to detectors and readout systems. We have efforts related to charge-coupled device (CCD) development. Work has been done in collaboration with the University of Arizona to back thin a large format CCD device. We have developed in collaboration with a commercial vendor a large format, compact CCD system. We have coupled large format CCD systems to our optical and x-ray streak cameras leading to improvements in resolution and dynamic range. We will discuss gate width and uniformity improvements to microchannel plate-based framing cameras. We will present data from single shot data link work and discuss technology aimed at improvements of dynamic range for high-speed transient measurements from remote locations.

Recently developed diagnostic techniques at LLNL require recording backlit images of extremely dense imploded plasmas using hard x-rays, and demand the detector to be sensitive to photons with energies higher than 50 keV [R. Tommasini et al., Phys. Phys. Plasmas 18, 056309 (2011); G. N. Hall et al., “AXIS: An instrument for imaging Compton radiographs using ARC on the NIF,” Rev. Sci. Instrum. (these proceedings)]. To increase the sensitivity in the high energy region, we propose to use a combination of two MCPs. The first MCP is operated in a low gain regime and works as a thick photocathode, and the second MCP works as a high gain electron multiplier. We tested the concept of this dual MCP configuration and succeeded in obtaining a detective quantum efficiency of 4.5% for 59 keV x-rays, 3 times larger than with a single plate of the thickness typically used in NIF framing cameras.

A computer model in CST Studio Suite has been developed to evaluate several novel geometrically enhanced photocathode designs. This work was aimed at identifying a structure that would increase the total electron yield by a factor of two or greater in the 1–30 keV range. The modeling software was used to simulate the electric field and generate particle tracking for several potential structures. The final photocathode structure has been tailored to meet a set of detector performance requirements, namely, a spatial resolution of

X-ray framing cameras based on proximity-focused micro-channel plates (MCP) have been playing an important role as diagnostics of inertial confinement fusion experiments [1]. Most of the current x-ray framing cameras consist of a single MCP, a phosphor, and a recording device (e.g. CCD or photographic films). This configuration is successful for imaging x-rays with energies below 20 keV, but detective quantum efficiency (DQE) above 20 keV is severely reduced due to the large gain differential between the top and the bottom of the plate for these volumetrically absorbed photons [2]. Recently developed diagnostic techniques at LLNL require recording backlit images of extremely dense imploded plasmas using hard x-rays, and demand the detector to be sensitive to photons with energies higher than 40 keV [3]. To increase the sensitivity in the high-energy region, we propose to use a combination of two MCPs. The first MCP is operated in low gain and works as a thick photocathode, and the second MCP works as a high gain electron multiplier [4,5]. We assembled a proof-of-principle test module by using this dual MCP configuration and demonstrated 4.5% DQE at 60 keV x-rays.

The Kirkpatrick Baez Optic (KBO) diagnostic designed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) requires very precise alignment between four pairs of mirrors that make up four x-ray imaging channels. Furthermore, the overlapping image axis of the four pairs must be aligned to within a 50 μm radius of the NIF target center. In order to achieve this the diagnostic utilizes a telescoping snout that when extended, locates the mirrors at the end of a Diagnostic Load Package (DLP), cantilevered more than three meters out from its bolted connection points. Discussed in this paper are the structural challenges and the mechanical design solutions that were implemented to achieve the ±50 μm pointing accuracy. During an Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) experiment, the KBO diagnostic will be 117 mm away from the extremely high impulse, target implosion shock wave, which requires a unique approach to protecting the sensitive optics which will also be discussed.

Our paper will describe a recently designed Mk x Nk x 10 um pixel CMOS gated imager intended to be first employed at the LLNL National Ignition Facility (NIF). Fabrication involves stitching MxN 1024x1024x10 um pixel blocks together into a monolithic imager (where M = 1, 2, . .10 and N = 1, 2, . . 10). The imager has been designed for either NMOS or PMOS pixel fabrication using a base 0.18 um/3.3V CMOS process. Details behind the design are discussed with emphasis on a custom global reset feature which erases the imager of unwanted charge in ~1 us during the fusion ignition process followed by an exposure to obtain useful data. Performance data generated by prototype imagers designed similar to the Mk x Nk sensor is presented.

As neutron yields increase at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) the need for neutron ‘hardened’ diagnostics has also increased. Gated Imagers located within the target chamber are exposed to neutrons which degrade image quality and damage electronics. In an effort to maintain the signal to noise ratio (S/N) on our images and mitigate neutron induced damage, we have implemented numerous upgrades to our X-ray framing cameras. The NIF Gated X-ray Detector (GXD), design has evolved into the Hardened Gated X-ray Detector, HGXD. These improvements are presented with image data taken on high yield NIF shots showing enhanced image quality. Additional upgrades were added to remotely locate sensitive electronics and ease operational use.

We present lessons learned from the fielding of various Mach-Zehnder (MZ) based diagnostic systems on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and potential solutions. The DANTE X-ray diagnostic is the next in a series of applications for Mach-Zehnder based signal transport and acquisition systems on NIF and as such will incorporate many of these upgrades. In addition to extended dynamic-range performance and improved reliability, the upgrades presented also enable multiplexing of the signals from DANTE’s 18 X-Ray Diodes (XRD) to economize on system cost and rack space. Previous deployments on other NIF diagnostics highlighted the necessity to decouple the input light intensity from the bias point of the Mach-Zehnder. Areas of concern including polarization, temperature, bias point and optical power level control will be addressed.

A National Ignition Facility (NIF) core diagnostic instrument has been designed and will be fabricated to record x-ray spectra in the 1.1–20.1 keV energy range. The High-Energy Electronic X-Ray (HENEX) instrument has four reflection crystals with overlapping coverage of 1.1–10.9 keV and one transmission crystal covering 8.6–20.1 keV. The spectral resolving power varies from approximately 2000 at low energies to 300 at 20 keV. The spectrum produced by each crystal is recorded by a modified commercial dental x-ray charge coupled device detector with a dynamic range of at least 2500.

We present initial characterization data from a new single-line-of-sight (SLOS) x-ray framing camera. The instrument uses an image-dissecting structure inside an electron optic tube to produce up to four simultaneous dc images from a single image incident on the cathode and a microchannel plate-based device to provide the temporal gating of those images. A series of gated images have been obtained using a short-pulse UV laser source, and the spatial resolution of those images is compared to those obtained using a more traditional-microchannel plate based system.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for the DOE Stockpile Stewardship Program. It will be used for experiments for inertial confinement fusion ignition, high energy density science, and basic science. Many interface issues confront the experimentalist who wishes to design, fabricate, and install diagnostics, and to help this process, a set of standards and guideline documents is being prepared. Compliance with these will be part of a formal diagnostic design review process. In this article we provide a short description of each, with reference to more complete documentation. The complete documentation will also be available through the NIF Diagnostics web page. Target area interface issues are grouped into three categories. First are the layout and utility interface issues which include the safety analysis report, target area facility layout; target chamber port locations; diagnostic interferences and envelopes; utilities and cable tray dist...

Many of the conditions believed to underlie astrophysical phenomena have been difficult to achieve in a laboratory setting. For example, models of supernova remnant evolution rely on a detailed understanding of the propagation of shock waves with gigabar pressures at temperatures of 1 keV or more, at which radiative effects can be important. Current models of gamma-ray bursts posit a relativistically expanding plasma fireball with copious production of electron-positron pairs, a difficult scenario to verify experimentally. However, a new class of lasers, such as the Petawatt Laser, is capable of producing focused intensities greater than 1020 W cm-2, at which such relativistic effects can be observed and even dominate the laser-target interaction. We report here on the development of a testbed using the Petawatt Laser to study the evolution of strong, radiative shock waves. There is ample evidence in observational data from supernova remnants of the aftermath of the passage of radiative shock or blast waves. In the early phases of supernova remnant evolution, the radially expanding shock wave expands nearly adiabatically since it is traveling at a very high velocity as it begins to sweep up the surrounding interstellar gas. A Sedov-Taylor blast wave solution can be applied to this phase when the mass of interstellar gas swept up by the blast greatly exceeds the mass of the stellar ejecta, or a self-similar driven wave model can be applied if the ejecta play a significant role. As the mass of the swept-up material begins to greatly exceed the mass of the stellar ejecta, the evolution transitions to a radiative phase wherein the remnant can be modeled as an interior region of low-density, high-pressure gas surrounded by a thin, spherical shell of cooled, dense gas with a radiative shock as its outer boundary, the pressure-driven snowplow. Until recently it has not been feasible to devise laboratory experiments wherein shock waves with initial pressures in excess of several hundred megabars and temperatures approaching 1 keV are achieved in order to validate the models of the expanding blast wave launched by a supernova in both of its phases of evolution. This new experiment was designed to follow the propagation of a strong blast wave launched by the interaction of an intense short-pulse laser with a solid target. This blast wave is generated by the irradiation of the front surface of a layered, solid target with ~400 J of 1 μm laser radiation in a 20 ps pulse focused to a ~50 μm diameter spot, which produces an intensity in excess of 1018 W cm-2. These conditions approximate a point explosion, and a blast wave that has an initial pressure of several hundred megabars and that decays as it travels approximately radially outward from the interaction region is predicted to be generated. We have utilized streaked optical pyrometry of the blast front to determine its time of arrival at the rear surface of the target. Applications of a self-similar Taylor-Sedov blast wave solution allows the amount of energy deposited to be estimated. By varying the parameters of the laser pulse that impinges on the target, pressures on the order of 1 Gbar with initial temperatures in excess of 1 keV are achievable. At these temperatures and densities radiative processes are coupled to the hydrodynamic evolution of the system. Short-pulse lasers produce a unique environment for the study of coupled radiation hydrodynamics in a laboratory setting.

Indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion makes use of cavities constructed of high atomic number materials to convert laser power into x-rays for ablatively driving an implosion capsule. Obtaining spatially uniform drive on the capsule requires a careful balancing between the laser absorption region (high drive) and the laser entrance holes (low drive). This balancing is made difficult because of plasma expansion, and the associated movement of the laser absorption region with time. This paper reports the first experimental demonstration of compensation for this motion by using different laser beams at different times, in agreement with modeling.