Plasmadynamics and neutron production of the POSEIDON plasma focus

The correlation between plasma dynamics and neutron and X-ray emission has been investigated on the plasma focus POSEIDON for various operational modes (voltage 60 kV and 70 kV; energy 280 kJ and 380 kJ; filling pressure 1 to 12 mbar, deuterium) and for several electrode geometries. Five-frame schlieren pictures of the focus plasma were taken with a schlieren set-up, equipped with 5 nitrogen lasers. The schlieren pictures were time correlated to the neutron and X-ray signals from a plastic scintillator/photomultiplier detector. A good discrimination between neutron and X-radiation was achieved. (orig./AH)