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1: Science. 2007 Feb 23;315(5815):1092-5.Click here to read Links

A route to the brightest possible neutron source?

Taylor A, Dunne M, Bennington S, Ansell S, Gardner I, Norreys P, Broome T, Findlay D, Nelmes R.

Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX, UK. andrew.taylor@rl.ac.uk

We review the potential to develop sources for neutron scattering science and propose that a merger with the rapidly developing field of inertial fusion energy could provide a major step-change in performance. In stark contrast to developments in synchrotron and laser science, the past 40 years have seen only a factor of 10 increase in neutron source brightness. With the advent of thermonuclear ignition in the laboratory, coupled to innovative approaches in how this may be achieved, we calculate that a neutron source three orders of magnitude more powerful than any existing facility can be envisaged on a 20- to 30-year time scale. Such a leap in source power would transform neutron scattering science.

PMID: 17322053 [PubMed]