Neutron emission anisotropy caused by neutral beam injection was observed by the neutron activation measurement in deuterium plasmas confined in the Large Helical Device. The shot-integrated fast neutron flux was measured by the irradiation of activation foils at two irradiation ends located at different ports. The ratio of the flux at the outside horizontal port to that at the lower port was used as an index of neutron emission anisotropy. The dependence of the ratio on the direction of the neutral beam injection was confirmed by comparing cases of tangential, perpendicular and both tangential and perpendicular neutral beam injections. Neutron emission anisotropy was numerically evaluated assuming these three cases of neutral beam injection. The analysis of neutron emission anisotropy comprises the evaluation of the velocity distribution function of energetic deuterons following guiding-centre orbits, calculation of the double-differential emission spectrum of neutrons produced by the reaction and neutron transport calculation. The obtained numerical results are qualitatively consistent in the dependence of neutron emission anisotropy on the neutral-beam-injection direction with the observed experimental data.
Experimental study of neutron emission characteristics in a compact sub-kilojoule range miniature plasma focus device