Methodology of a numerical chain model for x-ray radiography

The chain model for x-ray flash radiography (Ref. 1) developed at Los Alamos is an integrated simulation capability consisting of linked codes for the various physical processes that model an en$= radiographic event. Two new features have been added to the computational chaiwmodel: (1) a link between accelerator and particle-in-cell codes, enabling accelerated electrons to be injected into a 2-D, relativistic, fully electromagnetic particle-in-cell (PIC) code and propagated to a bremsstrahlung converter target, and (2) a distribution-functio'n capability to create electron sources from PIC simulations for use in Monte Carlo electroxdphoton transport calculations to produce synthetic radiographs. Physical variables of electrons from PIC calculations are binned to produce distribution functions, which can be randomly sampled to obtain source particles for Monte Carlo transport calculations through a bremsstrahlung converter target. Several methods of binning have been used to construct both correlated and uncorrelated distributions. We will present end-to-end simulations of the radiographic process in order to compare synthetic radiographs produced using several electron distribution functions and analoglike links. In addition, we studied the effects of different electron distributions on photon spectra, doses, and spot sizes produced from a converter target. Advantages and disadvantages of the different techniques will be discussed, and applications of the chain model will be presented