A Powerful Pulsed "Point-Like" Neutron Source Based on the High-Current ECR Ion Source

TL;DR

This paper develops a high-current, focused deuterium ion beam from an ECR ion source to create a compact, powerful neutron source for fast-neutron radiography, demonstrating significant improvements in beam focus and current.

Contribution

It introduces a combined electrostatic and magnetic focusing system to enhance beam current and reduce its size, advancing neutron source technology.

Findings

Achieved a deuterium ion beam focused to ~1 mm with 60 mA current.

Proposed combined focusing system can reduce beam size to 0.13 mm.

Numerical analysis confirms potential for improved neutron source design.

Abstract

The paper presents recent results of a "point-like" neutron source development based on a D-D fusion in a D-loaded target caused by its bombardment with a sharply focused deuterium ion beam. These developments are undergoing at the Institute of Applied Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences in order to study a possibility to create an effective and compact device for fast-neutron radiography. Last experiments with a beam produced by a gasdynamic high-current ECR ion source and its focusing with magnetic lens demonstrated that 60 mA of deuterium ions may be constricted to a transversal size of ~1 mm at the focal plane. With a purpose to improve this result in terms of the beam current and its size a combined electrostatic and magnetic focusing system is proposed and analysed. It is shown that combined system may enhance the total beam current and reduce its footprint down to 0.13 mm. All numerical analysis was performed using the IBSimu code.