At the Proton Radiography Facility, 800 MeV protons from the LANSCE accelerator facility are used to diagnose dynamic experiments, such as explosive and powder gun experiments, and pulsed-power implosions.

Material and component characterization under dynamic conditions

For a single experiment, the Proton Radiography (pRad) facility is able to make multiple images over time to form a time-lapse movie that illuminates ultra-fast phenomena. This capability is used to study shocked materials and other dynamic processes.

The development of imaging proton radiography is the direct result of the synergy between the Lab’s national security and basic science missions, supporting the Lab’s defense programs and providing for fundamental discoveries.