Numerical experiments on plasma focus neutron yield versus pressure compared with laboratory experiments

S Lee, S H Saw, L Soto, S V Springham, S P Moo
2009 Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion  
Published literature shows that the neutron yield of the plasma focus has been modeled in two papers using a thermonuclear mechanism. However, it is more widely held that plasma focus neutrons are produced mainly by nonthermalized mechanisms such as beam-target. Moreover these papers use several parameters which are adjusted for each machine until the computed neutron yield Y n data agree with measured Y n data. For this paper numerical experiments are carried out, using the Lee model code,
more » ... rporating a beam-target mechanism to compute the Y n versus pressure data of plasma focus devices PF-400 J and FN-II. The Lee model code is first configured for each of these two machines by fitting the computed current waveform against a measured current waveform. Thereafter all results are computed without adjusting any parameters. Computed results of Y n versus pressure for each device are compared with the measured Y n versus pressure data. The comparison shows degrees of agreement between the laboratory measurements and the computed results.
doi:10.1088/0741-3335/51/7/075006 fatcat:wkf6a25t2vgpfihnfyloq5ty34