Kern Fusion : Dense Plasma Focus Fusion
02.05.2019
(👁3422)
Eric J Lerner Lawrenceville Plasma Physics
Robert E. Terry Naval Research Laboratory
November 2007
The prospects for achieving net energy production with
pB11 fuel have recently considerably brightened. Studies have shown that the
multi-GG field potentially obtainable with modest dense plasma focus devices
have the effect of reducing the flow of energy from the ions to the electrons
and thus suppressing bremsstrahlung radiation that cools the plasma. We report
here on new simulations that indicate that net energy production may be
achievable in high-magnetic-field devices at peak currents as low as 2.3 MA.
While these simulations only model the dense plasmoid formed in the focus, new
simulation techniques can allow a full particle-in-cell simulation of DPF
functioning over the wide range of time and space scales needed. Such
simulations will be of great value in the next round of experiments that will
use pB11 fuel.