Spectral characterization of intense, short duration Bremsstrahlung pulses with nuclear photoactivation techniques

Pulsed power machines that generate high intensity x-ray pulses are often used to assess the radiation hardness of electronic components and systems but have also recently found application in research programs studying ultrashort wavelength (gamma-ray or x-ray) laser mechanisms. For this research, an accurate understanding of the bremsstrahlung spectrum emitted by the machine is necessary. This information can also be of interest to the nuclear simulation community if radiation hardness tests are required to mimic the average photon energy as well as the total dose and dose rate for the simulated operating environment. Unfortunately, the x-ray spectrum of such a device is difficult to determine and in practice is often estimated using Monte Carlo transport calculations in lieu of being experimentally measured. This paper discusses the use of resonant photonuclear activation as a simple experimental technique that can be used on a shot-by-shot basis to characterize these spectra