Nuclear reactions between protons and boron-11 nuclei (p–B fusion) that were used to yield energetic α-particles were initiated in a plasma that was generated by the interaction between a PW-class laser operating at relativistic intensities (~3 × 10¹⁹ W/cm²) and a 0.2-mm thick boron nitride (BN) target. A high p–B fusion reaction rate and hence, a large α-particle flux was generated and measured, thanks to a proton stream accelerated at the target’s front surface. This was the first proof of principle experiment to demonstrate the efficient generation of α-particles (~10¹⁰/sr) through p–B fusion reactions using a PW-class laser in the “in-target” geometry.

In an experiment performed with a high-intensity and high-energy laser system, $\alpha$-particle production in proton-boron reaction by using a laser-driven proton beam was measured. $\alpha$ particles were observed from the front and also from the rear side, even after a 2-mm-thick boron target. The data obtained in this experiment have been analyzed using a sequence of numerical simulations. The simulations clarify the mechanisms of $\alpha$-particle production and transport through the boron targets. $\alpha$-particle energies observed in the experiment and in the simulation reach 10–20 MeV through energy transfer from 20–30 MeV energy incident protons. Despite the lower cross sections for protons with energy above the sub-MeV resonances in the proton-boron reactions, ${10}^8$–${10}^9\alpha$ particles per steradian have been detected.

We present preliminary results on generation of energetic α-particles driven by lasers. The experiment was performed at the Institute of Laser Engineering in Osaka using the short-pulse, high-intensity, high-energy, PW-class laser. The laser pulse was focused onto a thin plastic foil (pitcher) to generate a proton beam by the well-known TNSA mechanism which, in turn, was impinging onto a boron-nitride (BN) target (catcher) to generated alpha-particles as a result of proton-boron nuclear fusion events. Our results demonstrate generation of α-particles with energies in the range 8–10 MeV and with a flux around 5 × 10⁹ sr⁻¹.

Nuclear fusion between protons and boron-11 nuclei has undergone a revival of interest thanks to the rapid progress in pulsed laser technology. Potential applications of such reaction range from controlled nuclear fusion to radiobiology and cancer therapy. A laser-driven fusion approach consists in the interaction of high-power, high-intensity pulses with H- and B-rich targets. We report on an experiment exploiting proton-boron fusion in CN-BN targets to obtain high-energy alpha particle beams (up to 5 MeV) using a very compact approach and a tabletop laser system with a peak power of ~10 GW, which can operate at high-repetition rate (up to 1 kHz). The secondary resonance in the cross section of proton-boron fusion (~150 keV in the center-of-mass frame) is exploited using a laser-based approach. The generated alpha particles are characterized in terms of energy, flux, and angular distribution using solid-state nuclear-track detectors, demonstrating a flux of ~10⁵ particles per second at 10 Hz, and ~10⁶ per second at 1 kHz. Hydrodynamic and particle-in-cell numerical simulations support our experimental findings. Potential impact of our approach on future spread of ultra-compact, multi-MeV alpha particle sources driven by moderate intensity (10¹⁶-10¹⁷W/cm²) laser pulses is anticipated.

Yellow, green, and blue plasmonic nanofluids were produced without wet chemistry by direct deposition of Ag, Cu, and simultaneous co-deposition of Ag + Cu nanoparticles from sputter-based gas aggregation cluster sources in liquid polyethylene glycol.

Conventional computation techniques face challenges of deviations in Moore's law and the high‐power consumption of data‐centric computation tasks. Neuromorphic engineering attempts to overcome these issues by taking inspiration from neuron assemblies, ranging from distributed synaptic plasticity through orchestration of oscillator‐like action potential toward avalanche dynamics. Although solid networks of nanoparticles (NPs) are proven to replicate fingerprints of criticality and brain‐like dynamics, the aspect of dynamic spatial reconfigurations in the connectivity of networks remains unexplored. In this work, Ag/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) nanofluids are demonstrated as potential systems to mimic the spatio‐temporal reconfiguration of network connections. The nanofluids are prepared by directly loading Ag NPs from the gas aggregation cluster source into liquid PEG. The NPs exhibit a negative zeta potential in PEG; if the potential difference is applied between two electrodes submerged in this nanofluid, the NPs migrate toward the anode, accumulate in its vicinity, and form a conductive path. Spikes of electric current passing through the path are detected, accompanied by resistive switching phenomena, similar to the random switching dynamics in solid NPs networks. The unique behavior of Ag/PEG nanofluids makes them promising for the realization of spatio‐temporal reconfigurations in network topologies with the potential to transition to 3D.