Abstract
Laser-cluster fusion offers a unique compact platform for studying nuclear reactions in the sub-100 keV regime. Here we report the first experimental demonstration of secondary beam-target DD fusion reactions in laser-cluster fusion experiments by surrounding a CD4 cluster jet with a CD2 foil. Deuterons accelerated to high ion temperatures of 60–100 keV through Coulomb explosion interacted with the surrounding CD2 target, enhancing neutron yields by up to a factor of 3.5 compared with the cluster-only case. This enhancement was quantitatively reproduced by a time-resolved model, confirming the effectiveness of the additional target. Our results demonstrate a practical route to boost neutron production and to establish laser-cluster fusion as a compact platform for investigating a wider range of fusion reactions and cross-sections relevant to astrophysics.
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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Funding
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. RS-2023-NR076370). In part, this work was supported by the Institute for Basic Science under IBS-R038-D1 and by the NRF grant No. RS-2023–00218180.
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S.L., H.K., Y.N., J.S., C.S., J.W., and W.B. designed and performed the experiments. J.S., S.L., and J.W. performed the simulations and analyzed the data. J.S., S.L., and W.B. wrote the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
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Sim, J., Lee, S., Kim, Hi. et al. Fusion yield enhancement via secondary beam-target reactions in laser-cluster experiments. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35722-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35722-z
