Abstract
Deuterium gas-puff experiments have been carried out on the GIT-12 generator at the Institute of High Current Electronics in Tomsk. The emphasis was put on the study of plasma dynamics and neutron production in double shell gas puffs. A linear mass density of deuterium (D 2) varied between 50 and 85 g/cm. Somewhat problematic was a spread of the D 2 gas at a large diameter in the central anode-cathode region. The generator operated in two regimes, with and without a plasma opening switch (POS). When the POS was used, a current reached a peak of 2.7 MA with a 200 ns rise time. Without the POS, a current rise time approached 1500 ns. The influence of different current rise times on neutron production was researched. Obtained results were important for comparison of fast deuterium Z-pinches with plasma foci. Average DD neutron yields with and without the POS were about 10 11. The neutron yield seems to be dependent on a peak voltage at the Z-pinch load. In all shots, the neutron emission started during stagnation. At the beginning of the neutron production, the neutron emission correlated with soft x-rays and a significant fraction of neutrons could be explained by the thermonuclear mechanism. Nevertheless, a peak of the neutron emission occurred 40 ns after a soft x-ray peak. At this very moment, hard x-rays above 1 MeV were detected and a rapid expansion with a velocity of 3 10 5 m/s was observed. In the case of the POS, 1 MeV widths of radial neutron spectra implied that there are deuterons with the energy above 200 keV moving in the radial direction. On the basis of D 2 gas puff experiments in the 0.3-17 MA region, the neutron yield dependence on a current as Y I 3. 0 0. 2 was proposed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 032706 |
| Journal | Physics of Plasmas |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2012 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Condensed Matter Physics
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Deuterium gas puff Z-pinch at currents of 2 to 3 mega-ampere. / Klir, D.; Shishlov, A. V.; Kubes, P.; Rezac, K.; Fursov, F. I.; Kokshenev, V. A.; Kovalchuk, B. M.; Kravarik, J.; Kurmaev, N. E.; Labetsky, A. Yu; Ratakhin, N. A.
In: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 19, No. 3, 032706, 01.03.2012.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Deuterium gas puff Z-pinch at currents of 2 to 3 mega-ampere
AU - Klir, D.
AU - Shishlov, A. V.
AU - Kubes, P.
AU - Rezac, K.
AU - Fursov, F. I.
AU - Kokshenev, V. A.
AU - Kovalchuk, B. M.
AU - Kravarik, J.
AU - Kurmaev, N. E.
AU - Labetsky, A. Yu
AU - Ratakhin, N. A.
PY - 2012/3/1
Y1 - 2012/3/1
N2 - Deuterium gas-puff experiments have been carried out on the GIT-12 generator at the Institute of High Current Electronics in Tomsk. The emphasis was put on the study of plasma dynamics and neutron production in double shell gas puffs. A linear mass density of deuterium (D 2) varied between 50 and 85 g/cm. Somewhat problematic was a spread of the D 2 gas at a large diameter in the central anode-cathode region. The generator operated in two regimes, with and without a plasma opening switch (POS). When the POS was used, a current reached a peak of 2.7 MA with a 200 ns rise time. Without the POS, a current rise time approached 1500 ns. The influence of different current rise times on neutron production was researched. Obtained results were important for comparison of fast deuterium Z-pinches with plasma foci. Average DD neutron yields with and without the POS were about 10 11. The neutron yield seems to be dependent on a peak voltage at the Z-pinch load. In all shots, the neutron emission started during stagnation. At the beginning of the neutron production, the neutron emission correlated with soft x-rays and a significant fraction of neutrons could be explained by the thermonuclear mechanism. Nevertheless, a peak of the neutron emission occurred 40 ns after a soft x-ray peak. At this very moment, hard x-rays above 1 MeV were detected and a rapid expansion with a velocity of 3 10 5 m/s was observed. In the case of the POS, 1 MeV widths of radial neutron spectra implied that there are deuterons with the energy above 200 keV moving in the radial direction. On the basis of D 2 gas puff experiments in the 0.3-17 MA region, the neutron yield dependence on a current as Y I 3. 0 0. 2 was proposed.
AB - Deuterium gas-puff experiments have been carried out on the GIT-12 generator at the Institute of High Current Electronics in Tomsk. The emphasis was put on the study of plasma dynamics and neutron production in double shell gas puffs. A linear mass density of deuterium (D 2) varied between 50 and 85 g/cm. Somewhat problematic was a spread of the D 2 gas at a large diameter in the central anode-cathode region. The generator operated in two regimes, with and without a plasma opening switch (POS). When the POS was used, a current reached a peak of 2.7 MA with a 200 ns rise time. Without the POS, a current rise time approached 1500 ns. The influence of different current rise times on neutron production was researched. Obtained results were important for comparison of fast deuterium Z-pinches with plasma foci. Average DD neutron yields with and without the POS were about 10 11. The neutron yield seems to be dependent on a peak voltage at the Z-pinch load. In all shots, the neutron emission started during stagnation. At the beginning of the neutron production, the neutron emission correlated with soft x-rays and a significant fraction of neutrons could be explained by the thermonuclear mechanism. Nevertheless, a peak of the neutron emission occurred 40 ns after a soft x-ray peak. At this very moment, hard x-rays above 1 MeV were detected and a rapid expansion with a velocity of 3 10 5 m/s was observed. In the case of the POS, 1 MeV widths of radial neutron spectra implied that there are deuterons with the energy above 200 keV moving in the radial direction. On the basis of D 2 gas puff experiments in the 0.3-17 MA region, the neutron yield dependence on a current as Y I 3. 0 0. 2 was proposed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84861636112&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1063/1.3696859
DO - 10.1063/1.3696859
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84861636112
VL - 19
JO - Physics of Plasmas
JF - Physics of Plasmas
SN - 1070-664X
IS - 3
M1 - 032706
ER -