Radio chemistry as a diagnostic in laser fusion experiments

Nuclear chemistry techniques were employed in an attempt to measure the density of high compression laser fusion targets. Radioactive 28Al atoms formed in the 28Si(n,p)28Al reaction arising from the interaction of the 14 MeV neutrons with the silicon atoms in the glass microsphere were counted at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory using a beta-gamma coincidence method. The detection system that is employed allows activities corresponding to 100 aluminum atoms to be measured. From the observed number of activated atoms, neutron yields, and code calculations, information on the density of the compressed fuel can be obtained. This method is particularly valuable when the target compression becomes great enough to prohibit previously employed diagnostic techniques to be used. In addition, technique which utilizes a radioactive tracer to measure the isotropy of the target debris blowoff are discussed.