Wave-Supported Hybrid Fast-Thermal p-$^{11}$B Fusion

TL;DR

This paper proposes a hybrid fusion approach combining thermonuclear and beam-plasma methods in proton-Boron11 plasma, which could significantly lower the confinement time needed for ignition by channeling alpha particle energy to fast protons.

Contribution

It introduces a novel wave-supported hybrid fusion scheme that enhances ignition prospects in proton-Boron11 plasma by integrating thermonuclear and beam-plasma techniques.

Findings

Hybrid scheme reduces required confinement time by an order of magnitude.

Energy channeling from alpha particles to fast protons enhances fusion ignition.

Hybrid approach offers advantages over purely thermonuclear or beam-plasma fusion.

Abstract

The possibility of fusion ignition in proton-Boron$^{11}$ plasma is strongly enhanced if the energy from the fusion-produced $\alpha$ particles is channeled to fast protons, but in an environment in which most of the protons are thermally distributed. This hybrid of thermonuclear fusion and beam-plasma fusion offers surprisingly large advantages to either purely thermonuclear or purely beam-plasma fusion, neither of which can by themselves significantly exceed the large bremsstrahlung radiation emitted by the proton-Boron$^{11}$ plasma. The hybrid scheme has the potential to reduce the confinement time of the reactants that is required to achieve ignition by an order of magnitude.