Ion Temperature Inference from Neutron Counting in Maxwellian Deuterium Plasmas

A method is presented for inferring the deuterium fuel ion temperature from neutron counts measured with fast liquid scintillators in conditions where the ion velocity distribution is Maxwellian. Local neutron count rates at each scintillator position are combined to estimate total neutron yield from the plasma, where absolute detection efficiency is determined via Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) neutron scattering simulation based on a three-dimensional model of the experiment structure. This method is particularly advantageous for magnetized target fusion applications as it yields a time-resolved diagnostic and does not require a direct line of sight to the plasma or collimation of the neutrons. The instrumentation configuration, pulse-shape discrimination and pile-up correction algorithms, detector calibration, and ion temperature calculation method with uncertainty characterization are discussed. An application of the method to General Fusion’s Plasma Injector 3 spherical tokamak device is demonstrated, and the results are compared to an ion Doppler spectroscopy ion temperature diagnostic.