Contrary to the general expectation that performance of a plasma focus would progressively improve with progressive reduction of its static inductance L o , a recent paper suggests that there is in fact an optimum L o below which although the peak total current increases progressively the pinch current and consequently the neutron yield of that plasma focus would not increase, but instead decreases. This paper describes the numerical experiments and results that led to this conclusion.
This paper presents a 4-phase radiative plasma focus model, where the dynamics of the current sheath is represented using Lee's model. The model is based on the snowplow model in the axial phase and the slug model in the radial phase, complemented with sensible estimations made for the plasma parameters. The x-ray emission characteristics are investigated using a corona plasma equilibrium model. A refinement to the code was made, firstly by taking into account the tapering of the anode in the axial phase and secondly by including the energy loss due to recombination radiation in the slow compression (radiative) phase. Our improved code was calibrated for the NX2, a 3 kJ plasma focus device, operated in neon at a pressure range of 4-7 mbar with a tapered copper anode. An additional macro was programmed to the code in order to automate the curve fitting of the simulated current traces with those obtained experimentally. The resulting theoretical x-ray yield predictions are compared against experimental data, showing good agreement in terms of pressure dependence trends. The model, however, appears to consistently underestimate the absolute x-ray yield when compared with the experimentally obtained values.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.