Titan user
Researcher, University of California, San Diego
Farhat Beg, Shao-Chi and Lily Lin Chancellor's Endowed Chair and researcher at the University of California, San Diego, has used Titan’s short-pulse and long-pulse beams to generate energetic particles (electrons, protons, and neutrons). These charged particles are used to generate intense neutron and x-ray sources for radiographic applications. His work includes understanding isochoric heating (heating at a constant volume) of the target material by energetic protons, the generation and transportation of relativistic electrons and protons and their propagation into targets, and the study of laser‒plasma instabilities.
Beg has also leveraged his Titan research to help him and his team perform integrated fast-ignition experiments on the University of Rochester’s OMEGA laser facility. These experiments showed for the first time that laser prepulse (a small, low-intensity pulse of light that precedes the main laser pulse) plays a detrimental role in reducing the laser-to-core coupling energy efficiency. In collaboration with LLNL colleagues, Beg and his team also carried out experiments where they showed crucial laser and target parameters for generating intense radiographic sources using high-intensity lasers. This research laid the groundwork for the development of the National Ignition Facility’s Advanced Radiographic Capability.
