Neutron production in super-fast deuterated Z-pinches

In the experiments with profiled agar-agar cylindrical loads filled with deuterated polyethylene, at Z-pinch currents up to 2.7 MA, the neutron radiation of several nanoseconds duration and energies of neutrons of 2.5 MeV, corresponding to D-D reaction neutrons, was registered. The time integrated neutron yield was 10⁶ neutrons per one shot. The neutron radiation appeared at the time when hard X-ray radiation with quanta energies hυ > 30 keV was generated at the stage when the hot (Ti = 3–13 keV) dense (Ne = 10²² cm⁻³) plasma in the Z-pinch neck was forming. The carried out neutron radiation measurements, when only single Z-pinch neck is developed show the correlation of neutron production time with a short time of high temperature plasma existence in this neck.