Determination of Deuteron Energy Distribution From Neutron Diagnostics in a Plasma-Focus Device

Author

Kubes, Pavel ; Kravarik, Jozef ; Klir, Daniel ; Rezac, Karel ; Bohata, Martin ; Scholz, Marek ; Paduch, Marian ; Tomaszewski, Krzysztof ; Ivanova-Stanik, Irena ; Karpinski, Leslaw ; Sadowski, Marek Jan

Author_Institution

Fac. of Electr. Eng., Czech Tech. Univ. in Prague, Prague

Volume

37

Issue

1

fYear

2009

Firstpage

83

Lastpage

87

Abstract

Fast neutrons from deuteron-deuteron fusion reactions were used for a study of fast deuterons in the PF-1000 plasma-focus device. The energy spectrum of neutrons was determined by the time-of-flight method using ten scintillation detectors positioned downstream, upstream, and side-on the experimental facility. Neutron energy-distribution functions enabled the determination of axial and radial components of energy of deuterons producing the fusion neutrons, as well as a rough evaluation of the total energy distribution of all fast deuterons in the pinch. It was found that the total deuteron energy-distribution function decreases with the deuteron energy more slowly than the tail of the Maxwellian distribution for 1-2-keV deuterons.

Keywords

deuteron-nucleus reactions; nuclear fusion; pinch effect; plasma collision processes; plasma diagnostics; plasma focus; scintillation counters; Maxwellian distribution; PF-1000 plasma focus device; deuteron energy axial component; deuteron energy distribution determination; deuteron energy radial component; deuteron-deuteron fusion reactions; electron volt energy 1 keV to 2 keV; fast neutrons; fusion neutrons; neutron diagnostics; neutron energy distribution functions; neutron energy spectrum; plasma pinch fast deuterons; scintillation detectors; time of flight method; total deuteron energy distribution function; Energy spectrum of fast deuterons; neutron production; plasma diagnostics; plasma focus (PF);

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0093-3813

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TPS.2008.2005899

Filename

4689394