Neutron source based on the repetitive dense plasma focus model

Abstract

An intense neutron source of very large fluence 10 20 n/cm 2 is required in material research for nuclear fusion reactors. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and present a scaling law of neutron yield from the repetitive dense plasma focus (RPF) powered by inductively stored energy from a slow capacitor bank as a large fluence neutron source. Section 2 presents the general discussion on the conditions of large fluence neutron source required for such applications. In section 3 a scaling law of neutron yield of the RPF powered by inductively stored energy is discussed by using a simple theoretical model. In section 4 experimental results of the RPF are shown and examined for a theoretical scaling law of neutron yield of the RPF and its numerical calculation. As a conclusion obtained by these experimental investigations, in section S it is examined that a new possibility for a intense neutron source would be opened by the RPF machine powered by inductively stored energy from a slow capacitor bank if we have N σ I m 5.7 for larger current as the scaling law of neutron yield because repetition rate of neutron yield is specially improved by a factor I 2.5 more than that in case of conventional operation.