An Ultra-Short Pulsed Neutron Source

At the Texas Petawatt laser facility we developed a novel ultra-short pulsed laser-driven neutron source generating an unprecedented output flux. Our results show a dramatic onset of high-energy electron generation from petawatt laser-irradiated plastic targets for targets thinner than a few microns. In this regime, the copious amounts of multi-MeV electrons emitted from the target are utilized to generate photo-neutrons from a metal converter. The neutrons are generated with a <50 ps pulse duration and a flux of 1018 n/cm2/s, exceeding any other pulsed or CW neutron source. I will discuss the prospects of ultrafast neutron science and particularly its application in Fast Neutron Resonance Radiography.