Plasma Accelerators for Nuclear Applications and Materials Analysis (PANAMA)

在激光驱动等离子体加速器中，用高强度飞秒激光脉冲轰击目标，产生新的高亮度高能粒子束和辐射脉冲源。产生的粒子束或辐射脉冲取决于目标的性质，但包括：电子、质子、中子和光离子束；以及从红外到伽马的电磁辐射脉冲。巴拿马项目将利用位于苏格兰等离子体加速器应用中心（SCAPA）的世界上最强大的激光器之一，利用这些粒子束和辐射脉冲进行先进材料的测试和表征。巴拿马设施将提供独特的能力；产生的极高能量的X射线/伽马射线可以穿透非常致密（或非常大）的材料，也许更重要的是，提供了在同一样品上同时将成像或光谱与辐照相结合的能力，从而能够现场实时观察材料损伤。这将使核材料的基础科学成为可能，解决整个核部门在材料特性方面的研究需求，从新建和燃料开发和制造，到退役、废物管理和地质处置。

In laser-driven plasma accelerators, targets are bombarded with high intensity, femtosecond laser pulses to generate novel high brightness sources of high energy particle beams and radiation pulses. The particle beams or radiation pulses generated depend on the nature of the target, but include: electron, proton, neutron and light ion beams; and electromagnetic radiation pulses from IR to gamma. The PANAMA project will utilise these particle beams and radiation pulses for advanced materials testing and characterisation, using one of the most powerful lasers in the world at the Scottish Centre for the Application of Plasma Accelerators (SCAPA). The PANAMA facility will provide a unique capability; the very high energy of the X-/gamma-rays produced can penetrate very dense (or very large) materials and perhaps more importantly, provide the ability to combine imaging or spectroscopy with irradiation simultaneously on the same sample to enable in-situ real-time observations of material damage. This will enable fundamental science of nuclear materials, addressing research needs in materials characterisation across the nuclear sector, from new build and fuel development and manufacture, to decommissioning, waste management and geological disposal.