Proton Radiography

Proton Radiography Capability Overview

Proton radiography (pRad) uses 800 MeV protons from the LANSCE accelerator to create time-resolved radiographic “movies” of rapidly changing systems. By recording multiple images within a single experiment, pRad provides quantitative, high-speed measurements of density, material motion, and shock behavior in extreme environments. These capabilities support research in materials science, high-explosive physics, and national security applications.

Proton radiography (pRad) uses high-energy protons as an imaging probe to study how materials behave under extreme pressures, strains, and strain rates. Because protons penetrate dense objects with minimal attenuation, they provide clear measurements of internal structure even during rapid, high-energy events. Their charge also allows the beam to be guided and focused using magnetic optics, giving proton radiography unique advantages over traditional radiographic techniques.

A key strength of pRad is its ability to produce a rapid series of proton pulses during a single experiment. When combined with multiple high-speed optical imaging systems, these pulses enable the creation of time-resolved radiographic movies containing up to 21 frames. This capability allows researchers to observe shock waves, material deformation, detonation processes, and other fast phenomena in unprecedented detail.

The development of imaging proton radiography is the result of collaboration between national security programs and basic science research at Los Alamos. Today, pRad continues to support the Laboratory’s national security science mission while also enabling advances in fundamental materials science and high-energy-density physics.

The pRad facility at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center has operated as a user facility since 2003 and is now one of three designated DOE user facilities at LANSCE. Each year, a call for proposals invites researchers to design and conduct experiments using the 800-MeV proton beamline. The facility supports both unclassified and classified experiments, depending on program needs.

Dynamic Material Behavior Under Extreme Conditions

Proton radiography provides unique insight into how materials deform when subjected to intense shock loading. In recent experiments, pRad captured the response of wrought and additively manufactured (AM) 304 stainless steel during a ~225 kbar high strain-rate drive.

The resulting radiographic movie shows how microstructural differences influence instability growth, strength, and overall deformation behavior. These measurements help researchers understand how advanced manufacturing methods affect performance under extreme conditions.

Wrought 304 SS                   AM 304 SS

Multi-Shock Interaction Studies (Hedonist Series)

pRad’s ability to record up to 21 images in a single experiment allows researchers to visualize complex shock interactions with exceptional temporal resolution. In the multi-shock Hedonist experiments, several detonation waves collide, generating structured shock patterns as the waves converge and interact.

These time-resolved images highlight pRad’s capability to capture shock focusing, density evolution, and multi-shock dynamics—phenomena that cannot be measured with any other diagnostic technique.

Material Behavior Under High Strain Rates

High strain-rate experiments with pRad reveal how metals fracture, flow, or transition phases under extreme loading conditions. Studies using tin, tantalum, aluminum, copper, and stainless steel show the development of fracture features, evolving shock fronts, and instability structures that inform modern material-strength models.

Proton Radiography at LANSCE

By combining high-energy proton beams, advanced magnetic optics, and ultrafast imaging systems, pRad produces quantitative, time-resolved measurements of dynamic systems that are not accessible with any other diagnostic. These capabilities support scientific discovery, materials research, and national security missions requiring a detailed understanding of material behavior under extreme conditions.

Pu@pRad

Plutonium experiments have been reestablished as a pRad capability. Conducting these experiments in specially designed containment vessels enables high-energy proton imaging at LANSCE. The resulting data play a critical role in supporting stockpile stewardship.