Electrodisintegration reaction in beryllium plasma as a source of neutrons

We analyze the generation of neutrons in a dense beryllium plasma induced by a powerful electron beam. It is shown that under appropriate conditions the flux of neutrons produced in the plasma can reach the level of 2×1013 n/s. An essential point is that such a high yield is provided by only one of the possible generation mechanisms in the system-via the reaction of electrodisintegration 9Be(e,e′n)8Be. This rather unexpected result is a serious argument in favor of detailed experimental studies of the interaction of modern high-intensity electron beams with beryllium targets.