Parameters of vacuum arc plasma with deuterium and hydrogen saturated zirconium cathode

Summary form only given. An experimental study of the mass charge composition of a vacuum arc plasma with zirconium thin-film and bulk cathodes saturated with deuterium and hydrogen is carried out. It is shown that for bulk cathodes effective generation of deuterium ions with an integral fraction of about 60% per pulse of an arc current. The deuterium content in a vacuum arc plasma is maximum in the initial stage of discharge burning and considerably decreases after the first 150 μs of an arc current pulse. The cathode deuteration also leads to decreasing average ion charge of metallic substrate in the plasma of a vacuum arc discharge. For zirconium thin-films cathodes an integral hydrogen ions fraction of about 50% per pulse of an arc current is possible for pulse duration less than 50 μs and arc current higher 400 A.