Increasing the service life of the Penning ion source for a miniature linear accelerator

Abstract

The article presents the results of numerical simulation and experimental study of conditions for igniting the gas discharge on the outer side of the cathode in a Penning ion source. The deposited plasma products of this discharge metallize the surface and decrease the electrical strength of the feedthrough insulator. We propose the options of magnetic systems preventing the ignition of a side discharge to increase the service life of the ion source. The obtained experimental data demonstrate the proposed magnetic systems maintaining the neutron flux generation modes during the operation of a miniature linear accelerator as part of a neutron generator.