A Benchtop Neutron Generator for the Home Reactor
A new benchtop neutron generator has been developed for amateur nuclear physicists. This device uses deuterium to produce neutrons through nuclear fusion, which can be detected using a Geiger counter. The generator operates as a linear particle accelerator and has shown successful radioactivity measurements.
- ▪The benchtop neutron generator uses pure deuterium as feedstock.
- ▪It accelerates deuterium ions into a titanium target to produce neutrons through fusion.
- ▪Radioactivity measurements indicated the generator's successful operation, generating 175 counts per second after neutron production.
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A Benchtop Neutron Generator For The Home Reactor No comments by: Aaron Beckendorf May 25, 2026 Title: Copy Short Link: Copy There are a surprising number of experiments an amateur nuclear physicist can perform, from making a Geiger counter to fusing hydrogen atoms in a fusor. One project which we haven’t seen before is a neutron generator, such as the benchtop neutron generator made by [Rapp Instruments] (translated). This particular generator takes a feedstock of pure deuterium, which it ionizes and accelerates into a titanium target. The first deuterium nuclei to hit the target react with it to form titanium deuteride, immobilizing them until more ions strike them and they undergo nuclear fusion.
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