Neutron emission generated during wire array Z-pinch implosion onto deuterated fiber
- Czech Technical University, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Department of Physics, Technicka 2, 166 27 Prague 6 (Czech Republic)
- Russian Research Center, Kurchatov Institute, 1 Kurchatov Sq., 123182 Moscow (Russian Federation)
- Institute of Physics, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8 (Czech Republic)
The implosion of both cylindrical and conical wire arrays onto a deuterated polyethylene fiber was studied on the S-300 pulsed power generator [A. S. Chernenko et al., Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on High Power Particle Beams (Academy of Science of Czech Republic, Prague, 1996), p. 154]. Neutron measurements were used to obtain information about acceleration of fast deuterons. An average neutron yield approached 10{sup 9} on the current level of 2 MA. In the case of conical wire arrays, side-on neutron energy spectra peaked at 2.48{+-}0.05 MeV with 450{+-}100 keV full width at half-maximum. In the downstream direction, the peak neutron energy and the width of a neutron spectrum were 2.65{+-}0.10 MeV and 350{+-}100 keV, respectively. The total number of fast deuterons was 10{sup 15} and their average kinetic energy was about 150 keV. Most of the deuterons were directed toward the cathode. The broad width of neutron spectra in the side-on direction implied a high radial component of deuteron velocity. With regard to the emission time, neutron pulses temporally correlated with hard x rays and also with measured voltage. The neutron emission lasted on average 30{+-}5 ns and it was observed during the stagnation and at the beginning of the expansion of a plasma column. At this moment, the plasma impedance reached 0.2-0.4 {omega}. In the post-stagnation phase, this value was formed significantly by enhanced plasma resistance. Similar experimental results were observed also with cylindrical wire arrays imploding onto a deuterated fiber.
- OSTI ID:
- 21106171
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 15, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2839352; (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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