Reply To: Environmental Awareness

[Ferret]

On the same note of hybridizing the ICF and DPF, there exists the possibility of replacing ICF lasers with DPF – like particle guns. So instead of huge inefficient lasers there would be a couple of dense plasma devices that may not achieve nuclear fusion themselves but fire jets of particles at a solid fuel target, burning its outer layer and inducing inertial confinement and fusion in the target. Several such devices placed around the target would fire synchronously. The idea came from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railgun#Trigger_for_Inertial_Confinement_Fusion

The main advantage: possibly much smaller and more efficient DP devices compared to lasers. And simpler and cheaper too.

Main disadvantages:
– synchronous firing: how well could it be achieved?
– target acquisition: they have to fire straight, not around corners.
– particle beams are not neutral, but positively charged. Electron beams fire the opposite way. So electrons may have to be added to the particle beam in order to make it neutral (or maybe this is not necessary).
– in some conditions, firing plasma at targets generates an electric field that effectively shields the target from the plasma. Would the same happen here? Neat stuff, anyway. And quite new too: http://phys.org/news/2012-07-deflector-shields-lunar-surface.html

Post your opinions on this. And hey, if you run out of activities or you simply get some funds / benefits from this, you could consider “feeding” some of the ICF projects with DP devices of this sort. I know some X-ray generators have been developed from DP machines.