The Dense Plasma Focus Opportunities in Detection of Hidden Objects by Using Nanosecond Impulse Neutron Inspection System (NINIS)

Dense Plasma Focus device is proposed for use as a neutron source to generate very powerful pulses of neutrons in the nanosecond (ns) range of its duration. Our devices PF-6, recently put into operation at the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, Warsaw, Poland, and PF-10 belonging to the Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Moscow, Russia, have energy storages in its capacitor banks 7.4 kJ and 13 kJ as a maximum. Operated with the DPF chambers of a special design they have a current maximum up to ~760 kA with a quarter period of the discharge equal to 1 microsecond. They generate circa 109 of 2.5-MeV neutrons in one pulse of 10-ns duration when working with deuterium, what permit to expect 1011 14-MeV neutrons at their operation with DT-mixture. This feature gives a principal possibility to create a 'single-shot detection system' for interrogation of hidden objects. It means that all necessary information will be received during a single bright pulse of neutrons having duration in a nanosecond range by means of the time-of-flight technique with a short flight base. It might be a base for the creation of the Nanosecond Impulse Neutron Inspection System (NINIS). These characteristics of the neutron source open a number of opportunities while interrogation time in this case would now depend only on the data-processing system.