Model for Generation of Neutrons in a Compact Diode with Laser-Plasma Anode and Suppression of Electron Conduction Using a Permanent Cylindrical Magnet

A model for acceleration of deuterons and generation of neutrons in a compact laser-plasma diode with electron isolation using magnetic field generated by a hollow cylindrical permanent magnet is presented. Experimental and computer-simulated neutron yields are compared for the diode structure under study. An accelerating neutron tube with a relatively high neutron generation efficiency can be constructed using suppression of electron conduction with the aid of a magnet placed in the vacuum volume.     

Comparison of Collective Accelaration of Protons and Deuterons in Luce Diode with a Polyethylene Anode

Russian Physics Journal - Collective acceleration of protons and deuterons is compared in the same geometry of a Luce diode with a polyethylene anode at an accelerating diode voltage of 250 kV,...     

Model of collective ion acceleration in a vacuum discharge based on the concept of a deep potential well

An ecton mechanism for the operation of the cathode spot and the concept of a deep nonstationary potential well are used as the basis to propose a model of collective ion acceleration at the spark stage of a vacuum discharge. It is shown that in principle a deep potential well can form in the presence of an external electric field and the conditions for its formation in an explosive-emission diode are clarified. The proposed model can explain the main processes leading to collective ion acceleration and shows good agreement with the experimental results.     

Neutron Diagnostics for Deuteron Flows from Pulsed Plasma Formations in a Magnetic Field

A diagnostic procedure establishing a relation between the energy of a laser pulse W (0.1 ≤ W ≤ 0.8) and the number of deuterons N _d extracted from the laser plasma in a vacuum accelerating diode with magnetic isolation of electrons is presented. The diagnostics is based on the measurement of neutrons generated at a target, which is a part of the ion collector at the same time. The results of experimental research and numerical modeling for the accelerating voltage at a diode interval up to 400 kV are presented.     

Quasimonoenergetic deuteron bursts produced by ultraintense laser pulses

We report on the generation and laser acceleration of bunches of energetic deuterons with a small energy spread at about 2 MeV. This quasimonoenergetic peak within the ion energy spectrum was observed when heavy-water microdroplets were irradiated with ultrashort laser pulses of about 40 fs duration and high (10(-8)) temporal contrast, at an intensity of 10(19) W/cm(2). The results can be explained by a simple physical model related to spatial separation of two ion species within a finite-volume target. The production of quasimonoenergetic ions is a long-standing goal in laser-particle acceleration; it could have diverse applications such as in medicine or in the development of future compact ion accelerators.     

2.5-MeV neutron source controlled by high-intensity pulsed laser generating plasma

A laptop neutron source suited for the most demanding field or laboratory applications is presented. It is based on laser ablation of CD₂ primary targets, plasma acceleration of the D⁺ ions, and their irradiation of secondary CD₂ targets. The deuterium–deuterium (D-D) fusion reaction is induced in the secondary target, according to the values of fusion cross-section versus deuteron energy, which show a significant probability also at relatively low ion energies. The experiments were completed in the PALS laboratory, Prague, detecting monoenergetic neutrons at 2.45 MeV with an emission flux of about 10⁹ neutrons per laser shot. Other experiments demonstrating the possibility to induce D-D events were performed at IPPLM, Warsaw, and at INFN-LNS, Catania, where the deuterons were accelerated at about 4 MeV and 50 keV, respectively. In the last case, a low laser intensity and a post-ion acceleration system were employed. A special interaction chamber, under vacuum, is proposed to develop a new source of monochromatic neutrons or thermalized distribution of neutrons     

Collective Acceleration of Ions in a Pulsed Magnetic Field of a Conical Spiral

The collective acceleration of laser plasma ions in a magnetic field generated by a powerful fast-growing current pulse in a low-inductive conical spiral is studied. The velocity of ions for a number of elements which significantly differ in atomic weight are obtained on the basis of collector measurements. The maximum velocity of both light (lithium) and heavy (lead) ions exceed the value of 108 cm/s; for ions of lead, the corresponding energy amounts to a value of ∼1 MeV. A mathematical model of ion acceleration is proposed and simulation results are compared with the experiment.     

Generation of a submillisecond electron beam with a high-density current in a plasma-emitter diode under the conditions of open plasma boundary emission

The generation of a 250-μs-wide electron beam in a plasma-emitter diode is studied experimentally. A plasma was produced by a pulsed arc discharge in hydrogen. The electron beam is extracted from a circular emission hole 3.8 mm in diameter under open plasma boundary conditions. The beam accelerated in the diode gap enters into a drift space in the absence of an external magnetic field through a hole 4.1 mm in diameter made in the anode. The influence of electron current deposition at the edge of the anode hole on the beam’s maximum attainable current, above which the diode gap breaks down, is studied for different accelerating voltages and diode gaps. The role of processes occurring on the surface of the electrodes is shown. For an accelerating voltage of 32 kV, a mean emission current density of 130 A/cm² is achieved. The respective mean strength of the electric field in the acceleration gap is 140 kV/cm. Using the POISSON-2 software package, the numerical simulation of the diode performance is carried out and the shape of steady plasma emission boundaries in the cathode and anode holes is calculated. The influence of the density of the ion current from the anode plasma surface on the maximum attainable current of the electron beam is demonstrated.     

Circular ion diode with self-magnetic insulation

The results of a study of the generation of a gigawatt-level pulsed ion beam formed by a diode with an explosive-emission potential electrode in self-magnetic insulation mode are presented. The experiments have been performed on the TEMP-4M ion accelerator operating in double-pulse formation mode: the first pulse is negative polarity (300–500 ns, 100–150 kV) and the second is positive (150 ns, 250–300 kV). The ion current density is 20–40 A/cm²; the beam consists of protons and carbon ions. To increase the efficiency of the ion current generation, a circular geometry diode is proposed. It is shown that with the new design, the plasma is effectively formed over the entire working surface of the graphite potential electrode. During ion beam generation, magnetic insulation of the electrons is achieved over the entire length of the diode (B/B _cr ≥ 3). Because of the high drift velocity, the transit time of electrons in the anode-cathode gap is 3–5 ns, whilst the transit time of C⁺ carbon ions exceeds 8 ns. This indicates low efficiency self-magnetic insulation for this geometry of diode. At the same time, it has been observed experimentally that during ion current generation (the second pulse), the electron component of the total current is suppressed by a factor of 4–5. A new mechanism of limiting the electron emission, which explains the decrease in the electron component of the total current in the circular diode with self-magnetic insulation, is proposed.     

A fiber bragg grating acceleration sensor interrogated by a DFB laser diode

A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) acceleration sensor interrogated by a DFB laser diode is demonstrated; the sensor is fabricated by packaging a FBG on to a cantilever; the interrogation scheme takes advantage of the intensity modulation of the narrow spectral bandwidth light of a distributed feedback laser diode, when the reflection spectrum curve of a FBG moves due to the strain which is applied on the sensor. The sensor’s response to the frequency and acceleration is measured by the experiment, and the factors which have an impact on the sensor’s sensitivity are also discussed.     

Macroparticle acceleration by a laser-plasma stream

A physical model is proposed for macroparticle acceleration in an expanding laser plasma. Two acceleration mechanisms are considered, based on absolutely inelastic interaction of the laser-plasma ions with the macroparticle surface: acceleration due to the ion momentum and reactive acceleration due to evaporation of the surface layer. The processes are mathematically described with the aid of the gasdynamics equations with thermal conductivity. Approximate analytic expressions are obtained and permit an estimate of the laser-plasma energy as well as of the quasiparticle momentum as functions of the parameters of the laser pulse, of the target, and of the macroparticle. The analytic solutions are compared with numerical computations using the RAPID program; the comparison confirms that the results agree qualitatively and quantitatively.Quantum Radiophysics Division, Lebedev Physics Institute. Translated from Preprint No. 209 of the Lebedev Physics Institute, Academy of Sciences USSR, Moscow, 1990.     

Model of forming deuteron fluxes and neutron generation in an axial plasma diode with inertial ion confinement

A model of forming deuteron fluxes and neutron generation in an axial plasma diode with two external anodes and a transparent internal hollow cathode is suggested. Such configuration provides longitudinal deuteron oscillations (inertial confinement) and required frequency of collisions with slow deuterons in the cathode plasma. On the basis of the suggested model of neutron generation, the neutron flux generated in the course of D(d, n)³ He nuclear reactions is approximately calculated. The examined diode system seems to be promising for the development of compact controllable neutron sources with increased operation lifetime and transverse size no more than 5 cm.     

Monte Carlo method for neutron spectrum recovery - a new approach based on the accelerated ions distribution

New method of neutron spectrum recovery described in the paper involves accelerated deuterons (that produce neutrons in DD reaction) and allows getting neutron spectrum in any direction from computed time-velocity characteristics of deuterons. Time of flight signals registered in various distances and directions are used, that makes information involved in the recovery process (Monte-Carlo simulation) more complete than in a one-directional case, although additional assumption about axial symmetry of deuterons motion, is required. In the paper recent results of two standard tests of the proposed method are presented demonstrating its capability to recover neutron spectrum from time-of-flight signals.     

1.2MV“天蝎”X光机杆箍缩二极管性能模拟

为了深入研究杆箍缩二极管的物理性能,采用蒙特卡罗方法对中国工程物理研究院流体物理研究所1.2 MV"天蝎"X光机的杆箍缩二极管进行模拟研究,包括PIC模拟和光电子输运模拟。着重分析了杆箍缩二极管结构参数与阻抗及出光剂量等的关系,发现阻抗和出光剂量与阴阳极半径比正相关,而出光剂量和杆探出长度正相关。提出一种阻止阴极盘后表面发射电子的设想,有望显著提高X射线辐射剂量。     

A-dependence of the yield of deuterons emitted during the absorption of stopped pions

Experimental results on the spectra and yields of deuterons forming in the absorption reaction of stopped π^? mesons by nuclei are presented. The A-dependences of deuteron yields are found. Contributions from various processes to the formation of deuterons are evaluated in the context of a proposed phenomenological model.     

Computer Simulation of High-Power Ion Beam Generation Using the Plasma Erosion Opening Switch and Microsecond Store Systems

This paper deals with computer simulation of plasma erosion opening switch (PEOS) operation in the context of short-pulse high-power ion beam (HPIB) generation in microsecond store systems. The scaling of PEOS parameters and ion diode characteristics with various operating conditions was determined. The simulations showed the best PEOS characteristics for a hydrogen plasma (i.e., the lowest mass) with a high flow velocity and low density, although for some applications a plasma with A/Z > 1 may be preferable. It was shown that the efficiency of HPIB generation in the diode depends on its location relative to the PEOS, the time delay of anode plasma formation, the use of a spiral electrode in the PEOS region, and the use of an arrangement involving an ion return current bypass through the PEOS region. The optimization of the PEOS and ion diode with coaxial configurations and 100 kJ stored in the 600-kV Marx yielded a 16-percent overall efficiency HPIB generation in the diode, with a diode voltage and power of 4.2 MV and 0.42 TW, respectively.     

Study of the Insulating Magnetic Field in an Accelerating Ion Diode

The results of examination of the insulating magnetic field in an accelerating ion diode are presented. This field is produced in order to suppress the electron current and thus enhance the neutron yield of the D(d, n)³He nuclear reaction. The following two designs are discussed: a gas-filled diode with inertial electrostatic confinement of ions and a vacuum diode with a laser-plasma ion source and pulsed magnetic insulation. Although the insulating field of permanent magnets is highly nonuniform, it made it possible to extend the range of accelerating voltages to U = 200 kV and raise the neutron yield to Q = 10⁷ in the first design. The nonuniform field structure is less prominent in the device with pulsed magnetic insulation, which demonstrated efficient deuteron acceleration with currents up to 1 kA at U = 400 kV. The predicted neutron yield is as high as 109 neutrons/pulse.     

Phenomenological model of the unstable stage of a vacuum spark discharge

A model of the unstable stage of a spark discharge in vacuum is proposed, which describes all typical manifestations of this stage, including current spikes in the diode, an increase in the potential at the cathode flame front, collective acceleration of ions in vacuum and plasma diodes, change in the cathode erosion mechanism, and the emergence of electron microbeams with a high current density at the anode. It is shown that these processes are associated with the formation of a charged electron layer of a spatially inhomogeneous plasma at the cathode flame boundary at the unstable stage of the spark discharge in vacuum. The emergence of this layer is associated with a limited emissive ability of the plasma at the cathode flame front during its expansion in vacuum. This leads to disruption of the plasma (field-induced emission of electron from the boundary region of the flame) and the formation of a short-lived charged plasma, viz., high-density ion cluster at the cathode flame boundary. The estimates obtained using this model are in good agreement with the experimental data on physical processes at the unstable stage of a vacuum spark discharge.     

An Investigation of Lithium Ion Sources on an Applied-B Extraction Diode on a PI-110A Accelerator

As part of the effort to develop an electrohydrodynamically (EHD) driven lithium ion source for the Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator II (PBFA II) at Sandia National Laboratories, we have begun experiments with liquid lithium and liquid lithium nitrate-filled anodes on the PI-110A accelerator. Several methods have been used to provide a lithium or lithium-bearing vertical anode surface that can be maintained above its melting point. Here we report preliminary results which indicate that a high purity (> 80 percent) Li+ beam is achievable from these anodes. Diagnostics include measurements of diode voltage, diode current, ion current, and a Thomson parabola analyzer to measure ion species. The possibility that ions are produced by an EHD phenomenon is discussed. Other mechanisms of ion production are considered.     

全光学型延时反馈法控制外腔式半导体激光器的混沌

根据Pyragas连续反馈法控制混沌的原理，提出一种全光学型延时反馈法控制半导体激光器混沌的方案，用相干理论分析了该方案实现混沌控制的机理和条件，进行了计算机数值模拟，结果证明了该方案的有效性. 关键词：