Investigation of Proton Beam-Driven Fusion Reactions Generated by an Ultra-Short Petawatt-Scale Laser Pulse

Table 1

Nuclear reactions creating neutrons and/or positron emitters in boron, nitrogen, and oxygen.

Reaction	Max. cross section (mb)	Half-life (min.)
Boron:
α +  + n + 1.06 MeV	100	9.97
p +  + γ + 8.69 MeV	∼μb	20.4
α +  + n + 0.158 MeV	100	Stable
p +  + n – 2.765 MeV	400	20.4
p +  + 8.6 MeV	1200	Stable
Nitrogen:
α +  + γ + 4.415 MeV	5	109.8
p +  + n−5.93 MeV	100	70 s
p +  + α−2.92 MeV	200	20.4
α +  + n−4.73 MeV	50	64.3 s
Oxygen:
p +  + α−5.22 MeV	150	9.97
p +  + n−2.44 MeV	500	109.8

The primary alpha-generating fusion reaction is listed for comparison (see Equations (1)–(3)). The reactions are used in the analysis to infer primary proton and alpha yields. The cross-sectional values quoted are approximate values near the peaks for a quick judgment; the analysis uses the tabulated values. The half-life of the created positron emitters is given in minutes, unless otherwise quoted.