Browsing by Author "Bhuyan, H"

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    Ion beam emission in a low energy plasma focus device operating with methane
    (2005) Bhuyan, H; Chuaqui, H; Favre, M; Mitchell, I; Wyndham, E
    An investigation of ion beam emission from a low energy plasma focus (PF) device operating with methane is reported. Graphite collectors, operating in the bias ion collector mode, are used to estimate the energy spectrum and ion flux along the PF axis, using the time-of-flight technique. The ion beam signals are time correlated with the emission of soft x-ray pulses from the pinched focus plasma. The correlation of ion beam intensity with filling gas pressure indicates that the beam emission is maximized at the optimum pressure for focus formation at peak current. Ion beam energy correlations for operation in methane indicate that the dominant charge states in carbon ions are C+4 and C+5. The estimated maximum ion energy for H+, C+4 and C+5 are in the range of 200-400 keV, 400-600 keV and 900-1100 keV, respectively, whereas their densities are maximum for the energy range 60-100 keV, 150-250 keV and 350-450 keV, respectively. These results suggest that the ion beams are emitted from a high density, high temperature, short lived focus plasma, at a time which appears to precede the emission of soft x-ray pulses. The properties of the carbon ion beams are discussed in the context of potential applications in materials science.