Generation of Deuterium-Rich Plasma by a Pulsed Vacuum Arc with Scandium Deuteride Film Cathode

Vacuum arc discharges provide simple and efficient methods for plasma formation. The cathode material is vaporized and ionized at cathode spots-tiny plasma sites of very high current density. Plasma rich in hydrogen ions, especially for pulse, intense current hydrogen ion, are of interest for a wild range of plasma technologies, e.g., for the neutron generators. This paper reports on a study of the properties of the plasma produced in a vacuum arc discharge with scandium deuteride thin film cathode. It was shown that the electron temperature was about 3ev to 5.5ev, the electron density of 5.5×10¹²cm^-2 to 9.5×10¹²cm^-12 within 80A to 120A arc current and 5us pulse duration. The ion mass-to-charge spectrum of the plasma was investigated by magnetic mass spectrometry. For all arc parameters considered, there is one arc parameter for plasma most rich in hydrogen ions. This is determined by the structure of the discharge channel and the cathode material. After plasma diffusion, we found that the various ion components have different spatial distributions due to the initial momentum distribution and Ion stiffness. This will help us continue to increase the purity of deuterium ions in pulsed vacuum arc discharge.