Ultrahigh charging of dust grains by the beam-plasma method for creating a compact neutron source

Generation of high-voltage high-current electron beams in a low-pressure (P = 0.1-1 Torr) gas discharge is studied experimentally as a function of the discharge voltage and the sort and pressure of the plasma-forming gas. The density of the plasma formed by a high-current electron beam is measured. Experiments on ultrahigh charging of targets exposed to a pulsed electron beam with an energy of up to 25 keV, an electron current density of higher than 1 A/cm(2), a pulse duration of up to 1 mu s, and a repetition rate of up to 1 kHz are described. A numerical model of ultrahigh charging of dust grains exposed to a high-energy electron beam is developed. The formation of high-energy positive ions in the field of negatively charged plane and spherical targets is calculated. The calculations performed for a pulse-periodic mode demonstrate the possibility of achieving neutron yields of higher than 10(6) s(-1) cm(-2) in the case of a plane target and about 10(9) s(-1) in the case of 10(3) spherical targets, each with a radius of 250 mu m.