Portable Neutron Generator Based on Laser-Plasma Ion Diode with Magnetic Isolation

The article presents a new experimental portable pulsed neutron generator based on a laser-plasma ion diode with magnetic insulation and the results of the first experiments. The laser-plasma diode makes it possible to obtain large ion current pulses that generate high-intensity neutron radiation. The source of optical radiation was a pulsed neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm, a pulse energy of up to 0.7 J, and a duration of ~10 ns. The ion beam is accelerated by an Arkadiev–Marx pulsed voltage generator with a voltage amplitude of up to 250 kV, a duration of up to 1.5 μs, and an energy of up to 160 J. Neutrons were generated using the reaction d(d, n) ³He. A neutron yield of 2 × 10⁶ neutron/pulse was obtained.