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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
R. C. Kirkpatrick, D. Palmer Smitherman
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 30 | Number 3 | December 1996 | Pages 1311-1314
Innovative Approaches to Fusion Energy | doi.org/10.13182/FST96-A11963129
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Magnetized target fusion (MTF) promises to ease the power and intensity requirements for a fusion driver. High gain MTF targets require fusion ignition to occur in the magnetized fuel. Ignition requires the energy deposited by the charged fusion reaction products to exceed that lost from the plasma by a variety of loss mechanisms. We have used single particle tracking through a magnetized plasma to obtain preliminary results on the DT alpha particle deposition as a function of the plasma ρR and BR for a uniform spherically symmetric volume with a uniform Bθ magnetic field. More complicated plasma density, temperature, and field distributions can be handled by the code, including 2-D distributions, but the efficiency of this approach makes extensive calculations impractical. A more efficient approach is needed, particularly for use in dynamic calculations. However, particle tracking is useful for obtaining information for building more accurate models of the deposition for use in survey codes.