Ways towards pure deuterium inertial confinement fusion through the attainment of gigavolt potentials

TL;DR

This paper explores achieving gigavolt electric potentials to generate powerful ion beams capable of igniting pure deuterium fusion, potentially replacing laser-based methods and advancing inertial confinement fusion technology.

Contribution

It proposes a novel method to reach gigavolt potentials by suppressing breakdown in a levitated conductor, enabling high-energy ion beams for fusion ignition.

Findings

Gigavolt potentials can be attained using a levitated conductor in Taylor flow.

Gigavolt ion beams could ignite pure deuterium fusion micro-detonations.

This approach may render laser fusion obsolete.

Abstract

The attainment of ultrahigh electric potentials by suppressing the stepped leader breakdown of a highly charged conductor levitated in a spiraling Taylor flow opens up the possibility of order of magnitude larger driver energies for the ignition of thermonuclear reactions by inertial confinement. In reaching gigavolt potentials, intense 1016 Watt, GeV ion beams become possible. Together with their large self-magnetic field, these beams should be powerful enough to launch a thermonuclear micro-detonation into pure deuterium, compressed and ignited by such beams. In high gain laser fusion the proton flash from the micro-explosion is likely to destroy the optical laser ignition apparatus, and it is not explained how to avoid this danger. The possible attainment of gigavolt potentials could make laser fusion obsolete.