Interaction of high temperature deuterium plasma streams and fast ion beams with stainless steels in dense plasma focus device

Abstract

Interaction of deuterium plasma of streams and shock-waves (velocities up to 5×107 cm s−1) and fast ion beams (50–150 keV) generated in a dense plasma focus (DPF) device with low-activated austenitic steel, 25Cr12Mn20W, and ferritic steel, 10Cr9W, specimens positioned in the cathode part of DPF chamber has been investigated. If the power flux density of both types of irradiation is about q = 105–107 W cm−2, then ion implantation into a surface layer of the materials was observed. An increase of this parameter till q = 107–108 W cm−2 results in the so-called `detachment' effect (screening of the specimen surface by a cold plasma cloud). When the power flux density is increased up to q = 109–1010 W cm−2, the evaporated plasma cloud becomes of the same temperature as the plasma of the shock-wave, and melting and evaporation of material from the specimen surface appears to be very strong, thus the so-called `broken-implantation' takes place.