H) tritium (T, hydrogen-3, H) fusion reactions are the most common accelerator based (as opposed to radioactive isotopes) neutron sources.  In these systems, neutrons are produced by creating ions of deuterium, tritium, or deuterium and tritium and accelerating these into a hydride target loaded with deuterium, or deuterium and tritium.  The DT reaction is used more than the DD reaction because the yield of the DT reaction is 50–100 times higher than that of the DD reaction.
D + T → n + He  E = 14.1 MeV
D + D → n + He  E = 2.5 MeV
Neutrons produced by DD and DT reactions are emitted somewhat anisotropically from the target, slightly biased in the forward (in the axis of the ion beam) direction. The anisotropy of the neutron emission from DD and DT reactions arises from the fact the reactions are isotropic in the center of momentum coordinate system (COM) but this isotropy is lost in the transformation from the COM coordinate system to the laboratory frame of reference. In both frames of reference, the He nuclei recoil in the opposite direction to the emitted neutron consistent with the law of conservation of momentum.
The gas pressure in the ion source region of the neutron tubes generally ranges between 0.1 and 0.01 mm Hg. The mean free path of electrons must be shorter than the discharge space to achieve ionization (lower limit for pressure) while the pressure must be kept low enough to avoid formation of discharges at the high extraction voltages applied between the electrodes. The pressure in the accelerating region, however, has to be much lower, as the mean free path of electrons must be longer to prevent formation of a discharge between the high voltage electrodes.
The ion accelerator usually consists of several electrodes with cylindrical symmetry, acting as an einzel lens. The ion beam can thus be focused to a small point at the target. The accelerators typically require power supplies of 100–500 kV. They usually have several stages, with voltage between the stages not exceeding 200 kV to prevent field emission.
In comparison with radionuclide neutron sources, neutron tubes can produce much higher neutron fluxes and consistent (monochromatic) neutron energy spectra can be obtained. The neutron production rate can also be controlled.