Numerical Investigation of Neon Soft X-ray and Ion Beam Characteristics in BARC Plasma Focus Device

Abstract

A numerical investigation on the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) plasma focus (PF) machine has been performed with the Lee model code (RADPF5. 16FIB) for characterizations of SXR emission and the ion beam using neon (Ne) as a working gas. The simulations were run using the device set at 11.5 kJ capacitor bank energy, and the results analyzed at various operating pressures and electrode geometries. For SXR emission, the calculated pinch plasma temperature of SXR yield from neon was in the range 2.3×10⁶ - 5×10⁶ K (200–500 eV), which is the region of full ionization of neon. The peak effective SXR power of 114.9 J at 1.75 Torr, which is ~1 % of the bank input energy. By optimizing the electrode geometry, the overall energy yield was increased to 137 J/shot with a = 3 cm, b = 6.8 cm, P₀ = 1.75 Torr, with which it was possible to reach 1.2% efficiency. Furthermore, for the ion beam characteristics, the ion beam fluence, flux, and focused ion beam (FIB) energy demonstrated distinct pressure-dependent behavior and achieved best performance at 1.75–2 Torr. These results demonstrate that the BARC PF can be a source of high-intensity pulsed SXR and high fluence ion beams, which is a compact, low-cost, and efficient radiation source for a variety of plasma diagnostic, material processing, and fusion relevant studies.

IUBAT Review—A Multidisciplinary Academic Journal, 9(1): 49-67