Inertial-Electrostatic Confinement Neutron/Proton Source

TLDR

Demand exists for a portable, switchable neutron generator delivering 10^6–10^8 n/s that emits fusion neutrons and is self‑calibrating. The authors propose an IEC‑based neutron generator, the IECGD, using a gaseous discharge in a single‑gridded device as the ion source. The IECGD injects ion beams into a spherical vacuum vessel with wire grids, creating a dense central plasma that, in the Star discharge mode, maximizes ion transmission and is modeled with Vlasov‑Poisson and particle‑in‑cell simulations. The IECGD delivers a simple, rugged, low‑cost fusion neutron source producing 10^6 D‑D or 10^8 D‑T n/s, and can be extended to produce intense MeV proton beams.

Abstract

There is considerable demand in the scientific community for a neutron generator with an output of 106–108 neutrons/second (n/s) that can be switched on or off, emit fusion neutrons, be self‐calibrating, and offer portable operation. An Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC)‐based neutron generator is proposed to meet these needs.In an IEC device, ion beams are injected into a spherical vacuum vessel containing one or more sets of spherical wire grids. A high fusion rate is generated in a dense plasma region created in the center of the innermost grid by intersecting ion beams and the associated potential well structure. Here, we describe a unique configuration, termed the IECGD, where a gaseous discharge in a single‐gridded device serves as the ion source. Operation in the newly discovered "Star" discharge mode maximizes the effective grid transmission factor for ions. This configuration, then, provides a simple, rugged, low‐cost fusion neutron source, operating in the 106 D‐D n/s or 108 D‐T n/s range. The extension to an intense MeV proton source is also possible.Experimental results for the IECGD are presented, with a discussion of corresponding theoretical studies using a Vlasov‐Poisson solver (IXL) and an electrostatic particle‐in‐cell code (PDS1).