Application of a Reflective Ion Triode Circuit for Increasing the Efficiency of Neutron Generation in Vacuum Accelerating Tubes

The report deals with the design and the operation features of the coaxial deuteron accelerator, in which a symmetrical ion triode circuit is used to limit electronic emission from the surface of neutron-forming targets and accelerating cathode electrodes. The basis of the construction design is two external cathodes, between which a hollow vacuum-arc source of deuterons is located which plays the role of a partially transparent anode. A high coefficient of anode transparency which is necessary for effective suppression of the electron current is obtained by using an ion-optical system consisting of magnetic and immersion lenses. As a result of computer simulation, performed with taking into account a numerical analysis of the dynamics of electrons, the geometry and dimensions of the accelerating triode system have been optimized. Moreover, for an accelerating voltage with the amplitude of 150 kV and a pulse-repetition rate of 25 Hz, the predicted average neutron flux can reach 1010 neutrons per second.