Production of completely ionized plasma

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY IONIZED, HIGH ENERGY PLASMA FOR PRODUCING NEURTONS, COMPRISING AN EVACUATED ENCLOSURE, A PAIR OF ANNULAR MAGNETIC MIRROR COILS SPACED APART A SELECTED DISTANCE FROM 3 TO 22 INCHES AND AXIALLY ALIGNED AND BEING DISPOSED WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE, A CYLINDRICAL ANODE DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID MIRROR COILS, SAID ANODE BEING PROVIDED WITH AXIAL EXTENSIONS EXTENDING INTO AND BEYOND THE THROATS OF SAID COILS, SAID ANODE DEFINING AN EFFECTIVE PLASMA CONTAINING VOLUME AS DEFINED BY THE MAGNETIC FIELD LINES OF A SELECTED VALUE FROM 10 TO 500 CC., AN ELECTRON EMISSIVE CATHODE MOUNTED EXTERIOR AND IN SPACED RELATION FROM ONE COIL THROAT AND ALIGNED ON THE AXIS OF SAID COILS, A FIRST ELECTRON REFLECTOR SPACED BEYOND THE CATHODE, A SECOND ELECTRON REFLECTOR SPACED EXTEIOR AND IN SPACED RELATION FROM THE OTHER COIL THROAT, MEANS FOR COOLING SAID ANODE AND SAID ELECTRON REFLECTORS, MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID CATHODE, MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID MAGNETIC MIRROR COILS TO PROVIDE A MANGETIC FIELD IN THE MIRROR REGION OF A SELECTED VALUE FROM 13,500 TO 50,000 GAUSS AND A MAGNETIC FIELD IN THE MIDPLANE BETWEEN THE COILS OF A SELECTED VALUE FROM 9000 TO 25,000 GAUSS, AND MEANS FOR FEEDING GAS AT A CONTROLLED AND SELECTED RATE INTO SAID CYLINDRICAL ANODE AT THE CENTER THEREOF MIDWAY BETWEEN SAID COILS SUCH AS TO MAINTAIN THE PRESSURE WITHIN SAID ANODE CAVITY AT A HIGHER VACUUM PRESSURE THAN THE VACUUM PRESSURE WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE, WHEREBY A PRESSURE GRADIENT ARC DISCHARGE IS ESTABLISHED AND MAINTAINED WITHIN SAID ANODE CAVITY TO PRODUCE A HIGH ENERGY, SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY IONIZED AND MAGNETICALLY CONFINED PLASMA WITHIN SAID ANODE CAVITY, AND HIGH ENERGY PLASMA EFFECTING A NEUTRON PRODUCTION RATE OF A SELECTED VALUE IN THE RANGE FROM 10**3 TO 1.5X10**7 NEUTRONS PER SECOND. TO ONE OF SAID ELECTRODES, AND A SHIELDING ELECTRODE POSITIONED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID COLLECTOR FROM SAID

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY IONIZED, HIGH ENERGY PLASMA FOR PRODUCING NEURTONS, COMPRISING AN EVACUATED ENCLOSURE, A PAIR OF ANNULAR MAGNETIC MIRROR COILS SPACED APART A SELECTED DISTANCE FROM 3 TO 22 INCHES AND AXIALLY ALIGNED AND BEING DISPOSED WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE, A CYLINDRICAL ANODE DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID MIRROR COILS, SAID ANODE BEING PROVIDED WITH AXIAL EXTENSIONS EXTENDING INTO AND BEYOND THE THROATS OF SAID COILS, SAID ANODE DEFINING AN EFFECTIVE PLASMA CONTAINING VOLUME AS DEFINED BY THE MAGNETIC FIELD LINES OF A SELECTED VALUE FROM 10 TO 500 CC., AN ELECTRON EMISSIVE CATHODE MOUNTED EXTERIOR AND IN SPACED RELATION FROM ONE COIL THROAT AND ALIGNED ON THE AXIS OF SAID COILS, A FIRST ELECTRON REFLECTOR SPACED BEYOND THE CATHODE, A SECOND ELECTRON REFLECTOR SPACED EXTEIOR AND IN SPACED RELATION FROM THE OTHER COIL THROAT, MEANS FOR COOLING SAID ANODE AND SAID ELECTRON REFLECTORS, MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID CATHODE, MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID MAGNETIC MIRROR COILS TO PROVIDE A MANGETIC FIELD IN THE MIRROR REGION OF A SELECTED VALUE FROM 13,500 TO 50,000 GAUSS AND A MAGNETIC FIELD IN THE MIDPLANE BETWEEN THE COILS OF A SELECTED VALUE FROM 9000 TO 25,000 GAUSS, AND MEANS FOR FEEDING GAS AT A CONTROLLED AND SELECTED RATE INTO SAID CYLINDRICAL ANODE AT THE CENTER THEREOF MIDWAY BETWEEN SAID COILS SUCH AS TO MAINTAIN THE PRESSURE WITHIN SAID ANODE CAVITY AT A HIGHER VACUUM PRESSURE THAN THE VACUUM PRESSURE WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE, WHEREBY A PRESSURE GRADIENT ARC DISCHARGE IS ESTABLISHED AND MAINTAINED WITHIN SAID ANODE CAVITY TO PRODUCE A HIGH ENERGY, SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY IONIZED AND MAGNETICALLY CONFINED PLASMA WITHIN SAID ANODE CAVITY, AND HIGH ENERGY PLASMA EFFECTING A NEUTRON PRODUCTION RATE OF A SELECTED VALUE IN THE RANGE FROM 10**3 TO 1.5X10**7 NEUTRONS PER SECOND. TO ONE OF SAID ELECTRODES, AND A SHIELDING ELECTRODE POSITIONED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID COLLECTOR FROM SAID