The dense plasma focus as a pulsed deuterium-tritium neutron source

Abstract

A dense plasma focus of the Mather type has been operated at a capacitor bank energy of 13 kJ with deuterium-tritium gas fillings. An average neutron yield of 1.1 x 10 11 neutrons per pulse was measured. The pulse width was 80 ± 5 nsec (FWHM) and the energy of the peak of the neutron pulse was determined by neutron time of flight to be 15.1 MeV in the 0º direction.