Multi-potential well formation and neutron production in inertial-electrostatic confinement fusion by numerical simulations

Abstract

The electrostatic potential well in an inertial-electrostatic confinement (IEC) is calculated by performing the numerical simulations based on the particle-in-cell method. The single, double and triple wells, depending on the amount of the injected ion current, are observed to be formed for the ions with a mono-energetic distribution. The well in the center of the multi-well structure is unstable and oscillates at the period much longer than the ion plasma frequency. A double well structure can be formed even for the ions with a spread energy distribution when the ion current is larger than the threshold value. The time-averaged neutron production in D-D fusion events is found to be proportional to the third power of the ion current where the double well structure is formed. The numerical simulation reveals that an IEC possesses the favorable dependence of fusion reactions on the injected ion current for the application to a neutron source or a fusion reactor.