Abstract
An Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion device is a very simple and safe neutron source that uses a glow discharge for deuterium-deuterium fusion. The discharge characteristics of the device were studied experimentally. The relationship between gas pressure and applied voltage was examined by light changes of the device's anode size. The gas pressure ranges in which the device was able to function effectively were differed. In the case of a larger anode (300 mm in diameter), the glow discharge occurred even under a relatively low pressure of 0.7 Pa and was very stable during a long period of neutron production. The characteristics of the gas pressure-neutron yield of different size anodes were also studied experimentally. At lower gas pressure, a greater neutron yield was obtained by a larger anode.
