Neutrons have a previously unknown effect on tokamaks. This is a major breakthrough for fusion processes.

The latter term refers to a donut-shaped fusion reactor. One of the devices that make up these reactors are components called thyristors. These are high-power semiconductor materials whose main task is to operate the power supply system. Their authors write about the detailed results on this topic in: Nuclear Science and Technology.

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The most important conclusion is that there is a mechanism of damage that occurs in the presence of neutrons in high-energy thyristors. These neutrons are generated by the fusion reaction of deuterium and tritium, and their involvement can lead to changes in the electrical performance of the thyristor. It was the consequences of neutron irradiation that the research team members considered.

Nuclear fusion uses reactors called tokamaks. Chinese scientists decided to determine the effect of neutron irradiation on the components of these devices.

Scientists from China described the relationship between the physical and electrical properties of a high-power thyristor irradiated with 14 MeV neutrons. During the analyses, they took into account, among other things, the carrier lifetime, mobility, reverse and forward shielding voltages and reverse recovery charge. The authors also conducted experiments and simulations aimed at assessing the extent of damage to the thyristor caused by the presence of neutrons.

An additional aspect of the activities carried out was to identify changes in the performance of the neutron-radiated thyristor within the safety system. Most likely, the increased leakage current of the neutron-radiated thyristor increases the risk of failure of such a system. In other words: a decrease in the efficiency of the neutron-radiated thyristor means an increased risk of failure.

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Thermonuclear reactions have been of interest to physicists for years. This is because they are a huge source of energy. They power stars, which is why scientists are trying to replicate them under controlled conditions on Earth. They have recently had a number of successes in controlling nuclear fusion and generating energy from it. The key is a positive net energy balance, which means that less energy is needed to start and sustain the reaction than is produced as a result.