Stimulated acceleration and confinement of deuterons in focused discharges. I

Acceleration and confinement of megaelectronvolt D⁺ ions in the plasma focus (PF) are analyzed in terms of the observed energy spectrum of the ejected ions and of the energy spectrum of the D-D neutrons from which the trapped-ion spectrum is derived. The current distribution in the interelectrode gap can be modified by field distortion elements (FDEs) which increase the fraction of total electrode current flowing in the pinch. An optimized FDE increases the observed maximum value and the mean value of the observed D-D neutron yield per shot by a factor ⩾3. The ejected-ion spectrum is determined by three independent methods (Thomson spectrometers, high-resolution magnetic analyzer, filters, and Faraday cups)