Characteristics of Ion Beam for Various Gases in a Spherical Plasma Focus Device

Abstract

This study presents the computed ion beam properties (flux, fluence, and energy) of argon, neon, and nitrogen gases with pressure variation in the spherical plasma focus device, KPU200 SPF. Numerical experiments are performed using the Lee code (version: RADPFV5.16FIB) with the gases in the pressure range of 0.10 - 19 Torr. The electrode geometry has been obtained by applying the ‘equivalent straightened electrode’ technique. The computed results for each of the gases show that the ion beam properties increase with the increase in pressure until reach a peak value and then start to reduce with further pressure increase. The peak ion beam flux (ions m-2 s-1), fluence (ions m-2), and energy (J) from heavier argon pinch plasma are found as 5.31 × 1027 at 2 Torr, 8.93 × 1020 at 3.5 Torr, and 3.46 × 104 at 3 Torr, respectively which are the utmost values from neon and nitrogen gases. Significant correlations of pinch radius and duration, effective charge number, and induced voltage with these ion beam properties are noticed and discussed in this paper. The obtained results of this study are compared with those of the NX2 plasma focus device that makes the consistency of the present research work.