Enhanced neutron production from pyroelectric fusion

The pyroelectric effect has been utilized as a means of producing x rays, electrons, positive ions, and neutrons. Pyroelectric sources have advantages over conventional sources, in that they are low cost, only consume a few watts of power, and are smaller than most sources. While pyroelectric x ray sources are already mature enough to be sold as commercial devices, the current generation of pyroelectric neutron sources is too low in intensity to be useful for commercial applications. This report demonstrates techniques which increase neutron production by a factor of 5.6 over previously published data.