Calibration of the neutron detectors for the cluster fusion experiment on the Texas Petawatt Laser

Three types of neutron detectors (plastic scintillation detectors, indium activation detectors, and CR-39 track detectors) were calibrated for the measurement of 2.45 MeV DD fusion neutron yields from the deuterium cluster fusion experiment on the Texas Petawatt Laser. A Cf-252 neutron source and 2.45 MeV fusion neutrons generated from laser-cluster interaction were used as neutron sources. The scintillation detectors were calibrated such that they can detect up to 108 DD fusion neutrons per shot in current mode under high electromagnetic pulse environments. Indium activation detectors successfully measured neutron yields as low as 104 per shot and up to 1011 neutrons. The use of a Cf-252 neutron source allowed cross calibration of CR-39 and indium activation detectors at high neutron yields (∼1011). The CR-39 detectors provided consistent measurements of the total neutron yield of Cf-252 when a modified detection efficiency of 4.6×10−4 was used. The combined use of all three detectors allowed for a detection range of 104 to 1011 neutrons per shot.