Description
At the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission (CCHEN), plasma focus devices ranging from sub-joule to mega-joule scales are under active investigation. This presentation will detail and discuss results from a kilojoule-range device, PF-2kJ. Fundamental experiments on charged-particle, X-ray, and neutron emissions are conducted with applications in mind, particularly in the biological sciences (e.g., cancer research) and materials sciences (e.g., testing materials for nuclear fusion reactors). Our findings on charged particle emission indicate the presence of more than one ion acceleration mechanism within PF-2kJ. The detection of high-energy neutrons (> 4 MeV) suggests tritium production, assumed based on the two equally probable branches of the deuterium-deuterium (D-D) fusion reaction. The axial plasma shocks from PF-2kJ were applied to tungsten, a leading candidate for plasma-facing components in future fusion reactors. Damage factors were estimated under two operating conditions: with and without pinch formation. At 3 cm from the pinch exit, the damage factor was approximately 10⁹ Ws⁰•⁵/m² with pinch, and 10$^6$ Ws⁰•⁵/m² without pinch. Post-exposure analysis revealed surface damage, including melting, cracking, and crater formation.
For biological applications, thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD-100) positioned downstream (+Z axis) measured X-ray doses. Accumulated doses were approximately 0.25, 0.6, and 1 Gy for 10, 20, and 40 pulses, respectively, corresponding to a dose rate on the order of 10⁷ Gy/min. Using this pulsed X-ray source, several cancer cell lines and one non-cancerous cell line were irradiated. Compared to conventional X-ray irradiation, the cancer cell lines exhibited significantly higher cell death at much lower doses when exposed to pulsed X-rays. In contrast, the non-cancerous cell line showed no significant sensitivity to the pulsed irradiation. These results will be presented in detail and thoroughly discussed at the conference.
The work is supported by the ANID-FONDECYT-Regular project 1240375.