Abstract: An inertial electrostatic confinement fusion device has a body defining an internal vacuum chamber cavity, the chamber having attached a pump to evacuate atmosphere to vacuum conditions, the chamber further having attached a source to inject a nuclear fusion fuel at a metered rate, the chamber further having within it a plurality of electrodes connected to a high voltage alternating current power supply such that at least one pair of electrodes consistently have electrical charge of opposite polarity and of equal magnitude, the distance between them defining an electrode gap. The assembly acts to control the specific relationship between the electrode gap and the applied power, both frequency and voltage, to excite ions of the nuclear fuel enough to generate fusion but alternate the electrode polarity sufficiently to prevent the ions from completely traversing the electrode gap, preventing electrode bombardment.

Abstract: A device for producing a non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma and an active space including such a device are disclosed. In an embodiment a device includes a first housing, in which a piezoelectric transformer is arranged and a second housing, in which a control circuit is arranged, the control circuit configured to apply an input voltage to the piezoelectric transformer, wherein the first housing comprises a coating configured to eradicate irritant gases.

Abstract: To remove a contaminant from a liquid, a pulsed electrical arc discharge is effected between two electrodes immersed in the liquid, thereby creating a plurality of particles within the liquid. One or both of the electrodes is metallic, for example iron or titanium. Before the pulsed electrical arc discharge is terminated, another step that promotes destruction of the contaminant by particles, such as removing the particles from the liquid or adding an oxidizer to the liquid, is performed. In the case of the extra step being adding an oxidizer to the liquid, preferably the termination of the pulsed electrical arc discharge is followed by allowing the liquid and the particles therein to age.

Abstract: An aneutronic magnetron energy generator that generates microwave energy from a fusion-fission reaction that produces alpha particles in response to a proton colliding with an 11B nucleus. The magnetron energy generator includes a magnetron having an anode resonator including a central chamber and a plurality of radially disposed cavities. A cathode assembly is provided at the center of the chamber and includes a cathode electrode that generates a proton plasma. A series of electrically isolated acceleration rings extend from the cathode electrode and operate to accelerate protons from the proton plasma towards an outer target ring composed of boron eleven (11B). The accelerated protons fuse with the 11B nuclei to generate the alpha particles that then interact with crossed electric and magnetic fields between the target ring and the cavities. The alpha particles resonate with the cavities and generate a current within the resonator that is collected.

Abstract: A spheromak is a plasma of ions and electrons formed into a toroidal shape. A spheromak plasma can include electrons and ions of nearly equal amounts such that it is essentially charge neutral. It contains large internal electrical currents and their associated internal magnetic fields arranged so that the forces within the spheromak are nearly balanced. The spheromak described herein is observed to form around an electric arc in partial atmosphere, and is observed to be self-stable with no external magnetic containment.

Abstract: An apparatus for the formation of a dense plasma focus (DPF) has a center electrode formed about an axis, where the center electrode includes a cylindrical part and a tapered part. An outer electrode is formed about the center electrode, and may be either cylindrical, tapered, or formed from a plurality of individual conductors including a helical conductor arrangement surrounding the tapered region of the center conductor. The taper of the center electrode results in an enhanced azimuthal B field in the final region of the device, resulting in increased plasma velocity prior to the dense plasma focus. Using the outer electrode helical structure an auxiliary axial B field is generated during the final acceleration region of the plasma, which reduces axial modal tearing of the plasma in the final acceleration region.

Abstract: The invention relates inter alia to a device (10) for producing an atmospheric pressure plasma (20, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d), especially for treating a substrate, said device comprising a unit (11, 11a, 11b, 11c) produced from a piezoelectric material. Said unit has at least one primary region (12, 12a, 12b, 12c) in which at least two electrodes (17a, 17b, 17c) for applying a low AC voltage are arranged, and a secondary region (13), along the longitudinal direction (L) of which potential differences are produced when the primary region is incited. The invention is inter alia characterized in that the secondary region (13) comprises two partial regions (14, 14a, 14b, 14c, 15, 15a, 15b, 15c) that have an opposite polarity along the longitudinal direction (L).

Abstract: Described herein are integrated systems for generating neutrons to perform a variety of tasks including: on-line analysis of bulk material and industrial process control (as shown in FIG. 1), security interrogation (as shown in FIG. 2), soil and environmental analysis, and medical diagnostic treatment. These systems are based on novel gas-target neutron generation which embodies the beneficial characteristics of replenishable fusible gas targets for very long lifetime, stability and continuous operation, combined with the advantageous features common to conventional accelerator neutron tubes including: on/off operation, hermetically sealed operation, and safe storage and transport. Innovative electron management techniques provide gas-target neutron production efficiencies that are comparable or surpass existing sources.

Abstract: A compact source of intense radiation includes: a multi-element, disc-style, explosive magnetic flux compression generator, switching, peaking-stage generator, plasma flow switch, and a dense-plasma-focus type, pulsed neutron source. The main explosive generator receives initial amounts of magnetic flux and energy from a smaller explosive generator. Explosive action drives the conductors of the main generator together, reducing the inductance and thereby increasing both the current and magnetic energy. A switch closes to connect the peaking-stage generator and plasma flow switch in series with the main generator (and in parallel with the ballast inductor). As the current rises in the plasma flow switch, its plasma armature is electromagnetically-accelerated axially along coaxial electrodes, attaining speeds above 60-70 km/s. Meanwhile, explosive action on the peaking-stage generator provides additional magnetic flux compression.

Abstract: A method for enhancing the wear resistance of a tubular component (62) of a nuclear fuel assembly, including the first steps of supporting the component in an implantation chamber (16), removing ambient air from the chamber such as by a pump (56) and generating a plasma plume (28) of positively charged metal source material by establishing an electrical discharge arc which travels from a cathode (18) of said source material to an anode (24) of a different material. At least a portion of the plasma plume is passed through an electromagnetic duct (14) which filters constituents other than free, high energy source material ions out of the plume. The high energy source material positive ions are directed through the chamber onto the negatively charged component. The chamber can be backfilled with a reactive gas such as nitrogen which forms an ionic compound with the source material ions such as Zr or Ti, and the ionic compound such as ZrN or TiN implants in the component.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of enhancing nuclear fusion reactions utilizes a plasma, made up of ions and electrons, contained within a region, and enhances the density of the plasma using a collision-diffusion compressional enhancement process. Ion acoustic waves generated within a central region of the system permit increased reflection and scattering of ions and thereby reduces their mean free path within the core region to permit greatly increased ions density sufficient to enhance nuclear fusion reactions within the core.

Abstract: A plasma focus apparatus has a field distortion element in the interelectrode gap at the breech end displaced from the sleeve of insulating material between the electrodes. As a result the neutron yield of the accelerator (which should be considered as representative of the good performance of a plasma focus device in all applications) is at least 5 times the yield in the absence of the field distortion element. A knife blade is the preferred embodiment of the field distortion element.

Abstract: Intense soft X-ray source comprising a means for producing a cylindrical plasma jet between a cathode and an anode, connected to a pulsed high voltage generator, wherein the means for producing the plasma jet comprisesa capacitor bank connected to a charging voltage source and also to a transmission line provided with a tripping means, the assembly having a very low inductance so as to permit a rapid discharge;a sheet of solid material connected by its periphery to one of the conductors of the line and by its central part to the other conductor, so that a radial discharge can be produced when the tripping means is conductive, a plasma jet resulting from the explosion of the sheet;a means for giving the said plasma jet a cylindrical shape.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for maintaining steady state compact toroidal plasmas. A compact toroidal plasma is formed by a magnetized coaxial plasma gun and held in close proximity to the gun electrodes by applied magnetic fields or magnetic fields produced by image currents in conducting walls. Voltage supply means maintains a constant potential across the electrodes producing an increasing magnetic helicity which drives the plasma away from a minimum energy state. The plasma globally relaxes to a new minimum energy state, conserving helicity according to Taylor's relaxation hypothesis, and injecting net helicity into the core of the compact toroidal plasma. Controlling the voltage so as to inject net helicity at a predetermined rate based on dissipative processes maintains or increases the compact toroidal plasma in a time averaged steady state mode.

Abstract: A virtually punctiform plasma source of high-intensity radiation in the X-ray region is produced at the open downstream end of a gas-filled discharge space defined by and between concentric cylindrical inner and outer electrodes. At the closed upstream end, the electrodes which define this discharge space are directly connected to a low-inductance high-power switch which serves for momentarily connecting the electrodes to a source of stored electric energy. At the closed end of the discharge space, the inner electrode is concentrically surrounded by an insulator which has a high coefficient of secondary-electron emission. In closely opposed adjacency to the insulator region of the inner electrode is an annular emission electrode which is at the potential of the outer electrode, the emission electrode being positioned at close radial offset from the insulator, and the offset being less than the mean free path in the gas of the discharge space.

Abstract: An electrical discharge thermonuclear reactor having a capacitor which is discharged into a reaction chamber through a low inductance distribution circuit funneling discharge current to a focus point in the reaction chamber so that the magnitude of the magnetic field intensity associated with the discharge current is generally inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the focus point. Then the circuit inductance is limited to a minimum value regardless of the absolute maximum distance from the capacitor to the focus point and thus the size of the capacitor. The distribution circuit has two outward-branching, interpenetrating three dimensional circuit networks of opposite polarity conveniently fabricated by stacking conductor plates having a generally cylindrical geometry.