On the features of bursts of neutrons, hard x-rays and alpha-particles in the pulse vacuum discharge with a virtual cathode and self-organization

• Published in: Journal of physics. Conference series 2015-11, Vol.653 (1), p.12026
• Main Authors: Kurilenkov, Yu K, Tarakanov, V P, Gus'kov, S Yu, Samoylov, I S, Ostashev, V E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alpha particles; Alpha rays; Bursts; Cathodes; Deuterium; Deuterons; Discharge; Neutrons; Particle in cell technique; Particle physics; Physics; X ray spectra; X-rays
• ISSN: 1742-6588; 1742-6596
• DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/653/1/012026

In this paper, we continue the discussion of the experimental results on the yield of DD neutrons and hard x-rays in the nanosecond vacuum discharge (NVD) with a virtual cathode, which was started in the previous article of this issue, and previously (Kurilenkov Y K et al 2006 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 39 4375). We have considered here the regimes of very dense interelectrode aerosol ensembles, in which diffusion of even hard x-rays is found. The yield of DD neutrons in these regimes is conditioned not only by the head-on deuteron-deuteron collisions in the potential well of virtual cathode, but also by the channel of "deuteron-deuterium cluster" reaction, which exceeds overall yield of neutrons per a shot by more than an order of magnitude, bringing it up to ∼ 107 (4π). Very bright bursts of hard x-rays are also represented and discussed here. Presumably, their nature may be associated with the appearance in the NVD of some properties of random laser in the x-ray spectrum. Good preceding agreeing of the experiment on the DD fusion in the NVD with its particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations provides a basis to begin consideration of nuclear burning "proton-boron" in the NVD, which will be accompanied by the release of alpha particles only. With this objective in view, there has been started the PIC-simulation of aneutronic burning of p-B11, and its preliminary results are presented.